FACED an Englishman yesterday.
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| Side street in the old town |
Spanton (1861) - Victor Rumsey (1809)
U2200
Spanish Exchange
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.d4 exd4 6.Qxd4 Qxd4 7.Nxd4 c5
This move first appears in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database in game 13 of the 1894 world championship between Emanuel Lasker and Wilhelm Steinitz.
8.Ne2 Bd7 9.Nbc3 0-0-0 10.Bf4 Bc6 11.f3
The Lasker-Steinitz game continued 11.0-0 Nf6 12.f3 Be7 with a level position, according to Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02 (but 0-1, 55 moves).
11...Ne7 12.Kf2 h5 13.Rad1 Ng6 14.Rxd8+ Kxd8 15.Rd1+ Kc8
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| How should White proceed? |
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16.h3!?
The engines slightly prefer preserving the bishop with 16.Be3 or 16.Bc1!?
After ...
16...Nxf4 17.Nxf4
... the game features the somewhat unusual matchup of bishop-pair versus knight-pair (much more common is bishop-pair versus bishop and knight).
With rival pawn-majorities, the bishop-pair is nearly always better but here the situation is not so clear as there are 14 pawns on the board - the more the better, as far as knights are concerned - and the black majority is compromised. Stockfish15 reckons Black is slightly better; Komodo13.02 gives Black the better side of equality.
17...Bd6 18.Nfe2 h4 19.Nd5 Rd8 20.Ne3 Re8 21.Nf5 Be5 22.c3
Playable is 22.Nxh4 Bxb2 23.c3, although 23...Rd8 ensures the dark-square bishop is not trapped.
22...g5 23.Nc1 b6 24.Nd3 Bf6 25.Nh6
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| What should Black do about the threat to f7? |
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25...Re7?!
Maybe better is the passive 25...Rg8, preserving the bishop-pair, but probably best is the engines' 25...Bd7!?, eg 26.Nxf7 Be6 27.Nh6 Bxa2, when White has a protected passed pawn but the black queenside majority can now make a passer too.
26.Ng8 Re6 27.Nxf6 Rxf6
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| How would you assess this rook-and-minor-piece ending? |
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VR said after the game he thought his remaining bishop would prove quite active. Komodo13.02 reckons the position is dead-equal, while Stockfish15 gives White a miniscule edge. I am not sure engines really get this type of ending, and in any case I believe only White can realistically push for a win.
28.Ne5?!
But a tactical oversight changes everything ...
28...Be8?
... or should have, although the position is not completely clear. After 28...Bxe4 the engines agree best-play runs 29.Rd7 Bb1 30.Rxf7 Rd6 31.f4 Rd2+, when Stockfish15 reckons 32.Rxb2 Bxa2 gives Black a slight edge, but Komodo13.02 calls the position dead-equal. In any event, this was White's best try as after the passive text White is well on top.
29.Rd5 c6
The engines disagree about how to meet 29...Rd6!? Stockfish15 claims 30.a3!? Rxd5 31.exd5 is winning for White, but Komodo13.02 at first only gives White a slight edge, later reckoning White has the upper hand. Instead Komodo13.02 claims30.Rxd6 cxd6 31.Nc4 gives White the upper hand, but Stockfish15 reckons White only has a slight edge.
30.Rd2 Re6 31.Nc4 Kc7 32.Ne3 Bd7 33.a3 b5 34.g3
With the white queenside pawns in the V formation that makes it impossible for Black to create a passer by pawn-action alone, it is time to activate the kingside majority.
34...hxg3+ 35.Kxg3 Rh6 36.Rh2 Kd8 37.h4 gxh4+ 38.Rxh4 Rg6+ 39.Kf2 a5 40.Rh5 c4 41.Rh2 Ke7 42.f4 Rd6 43.Ke2 Rg6 44.Rg2 Rh6
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| White to play and win |
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45.f5!
The engines agree this is the only way to make progress. The backwardness of the e pawn is not significant. What counts is the restriction of the bishop and the chance for the white king and knight to advance.
45...Rh5
A better try may be the engines' 45...Rh1!?, but 46.Kf3 seems good enough, probably with play similar to the game.
46.Kf3 Rh3+ 47.Kf4 Rh4+ 48.Ng4 f6
Now the rooks come off, but 48...Rh8 49.Rh2 Rb8 is also hopeless, eg 50.e5, when Stockfish15 reckons best if the obviously losing 50...Bxf5.
49.Rh2 Rxh2 50.Nxh2
The game finished:
50...Kd6 51.Ng4 Ke7 52.e5 fxe5+ 53.Kxe5 Bxf5!? 54.Kxf5 Kd6 55.Ne5 Kd5 56.Kf4 Kd6 57.Ke4 Kc5 58.Nf3 b4 59.a4 1-0
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