Summer's Over

PLAYED last night in the fifth and final round of the open section of the Pimlico Summer Congress, held over five consecutive Thursday evenings.

Paul Dupré (1969) - Spanton (1955)

QGD Tarrasch

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 c5!?

Now 5.cxd5 cxd4 is the Dutch Gambit, and 5.cxd5 Qb6 is the Peruvian Gambit, but this game eventually transposes to a mainline of the Tarrasch Defence.

5.Nf3 Nc6?!

Probably better is 5...cxd4.

6.cxd5!?

Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02 prefer this to the commoner 6.e3.

6...exd5

How should White proceed?

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7.g3?!

Stockfish15 gives 7.Bxf6 gxf6 8.e3, claiming Black's smashed kingside gives White the upper hand despite Black's bishop-pair. Komodo13.02 narrowly prefers the clam 7.e3.

7...cxd4 8.Bxd4 Be7

Perhaps stronger is the more-aggressive 8...Bc5, one point being 9.Bxf6?! Qxf6 10.Nxd5? Qxd4 looks very good for Black, eg 11.Nxc7+ Ke7! 12.Qxd4 Bxd4 13.Nxa8?! Bxb2 14.Rb1 Bc3+, although Black is temporarily the exchange down.

9.Bg2 0-0 10.0-0

There are 4,533 games with this position in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database

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10...h6 11.Be3 Nxd4?!

The mainline in Mega22 runs 11...Re8 12.Rc1 Bf8!? 13.Nxc6 bxc6 14.Na4 Bd7 15.Bc5!? Bxc5 16.Nxc5 with what the engines reckon is an equal position, although there are many promising alternatives, especially for White, along the way, eg the engines prefer 13.Qb3!? to capturing on c6.

12.Qxd4

Even better, according to the engines, is 12.Bxd4, eg 12...Be6 13.Qb3 with pressure.

12...Be6 13.Rfd1 Qa5 14.a3

Not 14.Nxd5?? Nxd5 15.Bxd5 Rfd8 etc.

14...Rfd8 15.b4 Qa6 16.Bf4?!

The engines reckon White should play 16.Qd3 or 16.Qd2, in each case claiming an edge for White.

16...Rac8 17.b5?

This is weakening. The engines prefer 17.Qd3 Qxd3 18.Rxd3 d4, giving Black a slight edge (but not 18...Bf5? as White has 19.Nxd5).

17...Qa5 18.Bd2

This is best, according to the engines, but Black is on top.

18...Rc4

What should White play?

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19.Nxd5

This is Komodo13.02's choice but Stockfish15 narrowly prefers 19.Qd3, when 19...Qc7 leaves Black with much the better game, according to both engines.

19...Rxd4 20.Bxa5

Not 20.Nxe7+?? as, after 20...Kf8 the capture 21.Bxa5 loses to 21...Rxd1+ etc.

20...Rxd1+ 21.Rxd1 Rxd5 22.Bxd5 Nxd5 23.e4 Nb6?!

Almost certainly better is 23...Nf6, after which White has two pawns hanging, and if 24.e5 then 24...Nd5 is strong.

24.Bb4

Now Black probably still has an edge after 24...Bg4 or 24...Bxb4, but not 24...Bg5?? 25.f4 etc.

Black to play and lose

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24...Kf8?? 1-0