Czech Seniors Open Championship Round Four

Olomouc is not well-known internationally but caters to many Czech tourists

Ladislav Zeman (1755) - Spanton (1852)

Scotch

1e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Qf6 5.Be3 Bc5 6.c3 Nge7 7.Be2!?

The main moves are 7.g3 and especially 7.Bc4, but there are 1,490 examples of the text in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database.

7...0-0 8.0-0 d5 9.Nxc6 Qxc6 10.Bxc5

Also possible is 10.exd5 Nxd5, as long as White avoids 11.Bf3?? Nxe3 12.Bxc6 Nxd1 13.Bxb7 Bxf2+ (13...Bxb7 also wins) 14.Rxf2 Bxb7 15.Rd2 Rad8.

10...Qxc5 11.Nd2 Be6 12.Qc2!?

The most popular line in Mega22, albeit from a fairly small sample, runs 12.Nb3 Qb6 13.Bf3 Rad8 14.Qc2, when Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02 reckon the position is equal.

12...Rad8 13.Bd3 h6 14.Rfe1 Rd7 15.Re3?!

The engines prefer 15.b4 Qb6 16.exd5 Bxd5 17.Ne4 with a slight edge for White, according to Komodo13.02, although Stockfish15 calls the game level.

15...d4 16.Rg3?!

Probably better is 16.cxd4 Qxc2 17.Bxc2 Rxd4 with a tiny edge for Black, according to the engines.

16...dxc3 17.bxc3 Rfd8 18.Nf1?!

This seems rather passive. Probably better is 18.Nb3 or 18.Re3!?

How should Black proceed?

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18...Nc6

This is enough for an advantage but the engines reckon even stronger is 18...Ng6!?, eg 19.Re1 Nf4 20.Be2 b5!? with an initiative.

19.Rb1 Bc4?

This loses most of Black's advantage. I rejected the simple 19...b6 because of the pin 20.Bb5?, missing that 20...Nd4 wins, and I rejected the engines' top choice 19...Ne5 because of 20.Rb5, missing 20...Qd6. In the latter line I did not give much consideration to 20...Nxd3!? 21.Rxc3 Nxc5, but the engines reckon that is also winning for Black.

20.Bxc4 Qxc4 21.Ne3

The knight gets back into the game with tempo.

21...Qd3 22,Qxd3 Rxd3 23.Nd5 Rd2 24.a3 Ne5 25.h3 c6

Possibly better is 25...b6 26.Nxc7+ Rd1+ 27.Rxd1 Rxd1+ 28.Kh2 Rf1, when Black is temporarily a pawn down but has a slight edge, according to the engines.

26.Ne7+ Kf8 27.Rxb7 Rd1+ 28.Kh2

What should Black play?

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28...R8d7?!

The engines reckon 28...g6!? is dead-equal, the point being 29.Rxa7?! Rf1 leaves Black struggling, eg 30.f4 Rdd1! 31.Re3 Rxf4 32.Kg3 Rf6, when White is a pawn up but the white pieces are so uncoordinated that Black is winning, according to the engines. Perhaps a better try in this line is 30.Rc7!?, but 30...Rd6 leaves Black on top, according to the engines, eg 31.f3? Rdd1 or 31.a4 Rxf2 32.a5 Ra2 33.Nc8 Rd1 34.Re7 Rxa5. So 28...g6!? needs to be met by 29.f4, and now 29...R8d7 30.Rxd7 Rxd7 31.Nf5 gxf5 32.fxe5 fxe4 33.Re3 Rd3 34.Rxe4 Rxc3 is a drawn rook-and-pawn ending, according to the engines.

29.Rxd7 Rxd7 30.Nf5 f6 31.Nd4 c5?

31...Nc4 seems to equalise, eg 32.Nxc6 Nd2! (32...Nxa3 33.e5 favours White, according to the engines) 33.Kg1 (not 33.f3?? Nf1+) Nxe4 34.Re3 Rd1+ 35.Kh2 Nd2 36.Re7 Nf1+ 37.Kg1 Nd2+ etc.

32.Ne6+ Kf7?

Better is 32...Kg8.

33.Nxc5

Even stronger is 33.Nxg7, with Nf5 to come.

33...Rd2?!

Probably better is the engines' 33...Re7, but White's extra pawns should win fairly comfortably.

34.f4 Nc4 35.a4

Again White had a stronger continuation, this time 35.f5!

35...g6 36.Rd3 Rxd3

36...Rc2?! 37.Rd7+ Ke8 38.Rxa7 Ne3 does not yield a perpetual.

37.Nxd3 Ke6

Black's king is more active but does not compensate for being two pawns down

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38.h4?!

Probably better is 38.Nc5+ Kd6 39.Nb3, followed by centralising the white king.

38...Kd6?!

Almost certainly better is 38...Nd2 39.e5 Ne4, when 40.c4 (not 40.exf6? Nxc3) fxe5 41.Nxe5 g5 gives Black some hope.

39.Kh3 a5 40.Kg4 Nb6 41.Nb2 Kc5 42.h5 gxh5+ 43.Kf5 (1-0, 62 moves).