FACED a German in the last round yesterday.
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Spanton (1861) - Manfred Herbold (2031)
Nimzowitsch Defence
1.e4 Nc6 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 d5 4.e5 f6
In this French-style pawn structure Black is almost obliged to attack the white centre at its head rather than at its base with...c5.
5.Be2!?
The mainline in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database runs 5.Bb5!? Bd7 6.Bxc6!? Bxc6 7.0-0, which Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02 reckon is slightly better for White.
5...fxe5 6.dxe5 Bc5 7.0-0 Nge7 8.Bf4
The engines prefer putting immediate pressure on the black centre with 8.c4!?, meeting 8...Ne7 with 9.cxd5 Qxd5 (best, according to the engines) 10.Bd2!?, and if 10...Ncxe5 then 11.Nc3 Nxf3+ 12.Bxf3, when they reckon White has more than enough compensation for a pawn.
8...0-0 9.Bg3 Nf5 10.Nc3 a6
This lets the black dark-square bishop stay on the a7-g1 diagonal in the event of Na4.
11.Bd3 Be7!?
Black's last two moves do not look well together, but Black could not play 11...Bd7? as White has 12.Bxf5 followed by 13.Nxd5.
12.Qe2!?
The engines prefer 12.Ne2 or, if the queen has to be developed at this point, 12.Qd2.
12...Bd7 13.Bxf5?!
Giving up White's better bishop, albeit for a well-placed knight, is unlikely to be best. The engines suggest 13.Qd2!?
13...Rxf5 14.Rad1 Qf8 15.Qd2!?
This is Komodo13.02's choice for quite a while, but it comes to agree with Stockfish15 that 15.Qd3 is better.
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| How should Black proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
15...Be8
The engines reckon 15...Rxf3!? 16.gxf3 Qxf3 is strong.
16.Nd4
The engines prefer 16.Ne2 Bh5 17.Nfd4, albeit reckoning Black is better.
16...Nxd4 17.Qxd4 c5 18.Qd2 Bc6 19.Ne2 b5!?
Black is still better after this, but kingside play with 19...h5 is almost certainly stronger.
20.Nc1 a5 21.Nd3 Qf7 22.c3 h5 23.h4!?
The engines agree this is the best defence.
23...Rd8 24.Qe3 d4 25.cxd4 cxd4
Not 25...Rxd4? 26.Nxc5.
26.Qd2 b4?
This gives White time for queenside counterplay. The engines reckon Black is well on top after 26...g5 or 26...Bd5, and if after 26...Bd5 White plays 27.Qxa5 then 27...g5 or 27...Qg6.
27.Rc1 Qe8 28.Nc5?
Missing a tactic. The game is equal after 28.Nf4, according to the engines.
28...Bf8
28...Bxg2!
29.Nb3 Bb5 30.Rfd1 d3 31.Nc5
White has an edge after 31.Nxa5!?, according to the engines, as 31...Ra8 can be met by 32.Nb7 Rxa2 33.Nd6. Instead Black should play something like 31...g5!? (Stockfish15) or 31...Rd4 (Komodo13.02), with more-or-less enough compensation.
31...Rf7 32.Ne4
Not 32.Nxd3?? Rfd7.
32...Rfd7?!
Probably better is the engines' 32...Rd5.
33.Qg5 Kh8?!
Black had to play 33...Be7, according to the engines, but 34.Nf6+ gives White a large advantage.
34.Nd6 Be7
34...Bxd6?! 35.exd6 is even worse for Black, according to the engines.
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| How should White proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
35.Qf4?
White has a positionally won game after 35.Qe3 or 35.Qd2, according to the engines.
35...Bxd6 36.exd6 Rxd6 37.Qxd6?
Winning two rooks for a queen, but the powerful d pawn and the vulnerability of many of the white pawns make this a bad exchange. The engines reckon White is equal (Stockfish15) or only slightly worse (Komodo13.02) after 37.Qe3.
37...Rxd6 38.Bxd6 Qd7 39.Bf4 Qd5 40.b3 Bc6 41.f3 Qd4+ 42.Kf1 Bb5 43.Bd2 Qxh4 44.Re1 Qe7?!
44...Qd4 is almost certainly stronger.
45.Re5 Be8 46.Rxa5 Kh7 47.Rd1 Qc7?
Better is 47...Bg6.
48.Bxb4 Bg6 49.Rc5?!
Probably better is consolidating with 49.Bd2 or 49.rd2.
49...Qh2 50.Be1
Forced, but now Black gets an initiative.
50...h4 51.Rc4 Qh1+ 52.Kf2 Bf5 53.Rdc1 Qh2 54.Ke3
There is no defence.
54...Qe5+ 55.Kf2 Qe2+ 56.Kg1 h3!? 57.gxh3 d2 (0-1, 67 moves).
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