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| The short arm of the law |
Hugh Murphy (2125) - Spanton (1889)
Colle
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.e3 Bg4 4.Bb5!?
The commonest move in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database is 4.Be2, but Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02 prefer the text and 4.c4!?
4...e6 5.c4 a6?
This loses a pawn. Better is 5...Ne7 or 5...Qd7!?
6.Bxc6+ bxc6 7.Qa4 Ne7 8.Ne5 Bh5 9.Nc3
Not 9.Nxc6?? Qd7.
9...f6 10.Nxc6 Qd7 11.Nxe7 Qxa4 12.Nxa4 Bxe7 13.cxd5 exd5
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| White has an extra pawn and the better pawn-structure - Black's bishop-pair does not give enough compensation |
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14.Bd2 0-0 15.Rc1 Rfc8 16.Ba5 Be8 17.Nc3 c6 18.Na4!? Rcb8 19.b3 Rb5 20.Bb6 Rb8 21.Bc5 Bd8 22.0-0 Bc7 23.Nc3 R5b7 24.Ba3 Kf7 25.Rc2 Kg8!?
To make 26...Bg6 possible. If 25...Ke6?! White has a choice of strong moves, including 26.e4.
26.Rfc1
But now 26.e4?! is answered by 26...Bg6.
26...Bg6 27.Rb2 Be8 28.Na4 Bb6 29.Bd6 Rd8?
Better is 29...Rc8 or 29...Ra8.
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| How should White proceed? |
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30.Nxb6
Eliminating the bishop-pair and the possibility of an opposite-coloured bishop ending.
30...Rxd6
Not 30...Rxb6? 31.Bc7 etc, but the text leaves Black with a bad bishop versus a good knight and little prospect of counterplay.
The game continued:
31.Na4 a5 32.Rbc2 Kf7 33.Kf1 Rd8 34.Ke1 Ke7 35.Rc5 Ra8 36.Kd2 Kd6 37.f3 Re7 38.Nc3 Bg6 39.Ne2 Ra6 40.Nc3 Ra8 41.Re1 Ra6 42.e4 dxe4 43.fxe4 Ra8 44.Kd3 Ra6 45.Ke3 Ra8 46.Kf4 Ra6 47.Na4 Bf7 48.Nb2 Bg8 49.Rec1 Bf7 50.Kf3 Bg8 51.Nd3 Be6 52.R5c3 Rb6 53.Kf2 a4?!
At last a hint of counterplay, but the result is a worsening of Black's position and a quick finish.
54.bxa4 Bxa2 55.a5 Ra6 56.Nb4 Rxa5 57.Nxc6 1-0
My preparation for the game was Bronstein - Aronson USSR 1957
ReplyDeleteInteresting, especially as you were the first to divert from the 1957 game - successfully, as it turned out.
ReplyDeleteI thought I would have the option to play Nbd2 later, but I should have followed Bronstein's only game against the Chigorin defence. Kasparov was a fervent admirer of Bronstein's chess. Many thanks for the game !
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