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| Playing hall at the Kenilworth Holiday Inn |
Lawrence Rhodes (1665 ECF/1620 Fide) - Spanton (1972 ECF/1860 Fide)
Chigorin
1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.e3
This, along with 4.Nc3, are popular alternatives to the main line, which runs 4.cxd5 Bxf3 5.gxf3 Qxd5 6.e3 e5 7.Nc3 Bb4 8.Bd2 Bxc3 9.bxc3, reaching an interestingly unbalanced position that Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1 agree favours White.
4...e5 5.dxe5
This is the commonest line in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database, but Komodo12.1.1 likes 5.cxd5 while Stockfish14.1 prefers the lesser-played 5.Qb3!?, which may be critical. After 5.Qb3!? the engines continue 5...Bxf3 6.gxf3 dxc4!? 7.Bxc4 Qd7 8.dxe5, favouring White.
5...dxc4 6.Qxd8+
Better may be 6.Qa4!?
6...Rxd8 7.Bxc4 Nxe5!?
This seems slightly better than 7...Bxf3, and sets a little trap that has claimed a 2245, albeit in a blitz game.
8.Be2
Not 8.Nxe5?? Rd1#.
8...Nd3+ 9.Bxd3 Rxd3 10.Bd2
I trust no one wanted to play the fork 10.Ne5??
White could play 10.Nbd2!? to keep his kingside pawn-structure intact, but it slows White's development. The engines reckon 10...f6 gives Black an edge.
10...Bxf3!?
Only the weakest player to reach this position in Mega22, an 1830, chose this continuation, which is not liked by the engines, but he beat a 2087.
11.gxf3 Nf6 12.Ke2 Rd7 13.Bc3 Nd5 14.Rd1 f6!?
Exchanging knight for bishop accelerates White's development and is equal, according to the engines, but then they reckon the position after the text is also equal.
15.a3 Kf7 16.Be1!?
Preserving the bishop and thus avoiding an ending in which bishop and rook would almost certainly combine better than knight and rook.
16...Bc5 17.Nc3 Nxc3+ 18.Bxc3 Rhd8 19.Rxd7+ Rxd7 20.Rg1
Seeking further simplification with 20.Rd1?! almost certainly favours Black as White's pawn-structure becomes harder to defend.
20...Ke6?!
Activating the rook with 20...Rd5 is probably better.
21.e4 Bd6 22.h3 c5
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| Black's winning chances lie in activating the queenside pawn majority, it being much harder for White to do the same on the kingside |
*****
*****
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*****
23.a4?!
Seeking to slow the black majority, but this is weakening.
23...Be5 24.Rc1
On 24.Bxe5 I intended 24...Kxe5, meeting 25.Ke3 with 25...g5!?, when Black is clearly better. Instead the engines reckon White should play 25.h4, giving Black a slight edge.
24...b6 25.b3?!
The engines strongly dislike this, preferring to let Black capture on c3 so White can reply bxc3!?, which significantly hampers Black's queenside pawn activation.
25...Bxc3 26.Rxc3 Ke5 27.a5
Again Ke3, hoping to get in f4, is countered by ...g5.
27...f5 28.axb6 axb6 29.Re3 Rd6 30.exf5+
There is nothing better, according to the engines.
30...Kxf5 31.Re4 g5?!
Stronger is 31...Rd4 as 32.Rxd4 cxd4 is a winning pawn ending for Black.
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| White to play and draw (or at least create strong drawing chances) |
*****
*****
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32.h4
White is equal (Stockfish14.1), or only slightly worse (Komodo12.1.1), after 32.b4!
32...Re6! 33.Kd3
The best chance. Hopeless are 33.Rxe6 Kxe6 34.hxg5 Kf5, 33.hxg5 Rxe4+ 34.fxe4+ Kxe4 and 33.Ke3 gxh4.
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| Black to play and win |
*****
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33...b5?
33...b5?
This gives White serious drawing chances whereas 33...Rxe3 34.fxe3+ Kf4 wins comfortably.
34.Rg4 h6 35.hxg5 hxg5 36.Kd2?!
Probably better is 36.Rg1, although Black remains slightly better, according to the engines.
36...Rd6+ 37.Ke2!?
This is best, according to the engines.
37...Rd4 38.Rxd4?
The golden rule is not to swop off into a pawn ending from a rook-and-pawn ending unless certain of a draw. Here 38.Rg1 gives good holding chances, and if 38...Rb4 then not 39.Rb1? c4 etc, but 39.Rc1, when Komodo12.1.1 gives Black a slight edge but Stockfish14.1 reckons the position is dead-equal.
38...cxd4 39.Kd3 Kf4 0-1
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