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| Part of the rosarium |
Spanton (1852) - Aleš Barabas (1756)
Sicilian Bb5(+)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Nxd7!?
This allows the black queen to be developed on its normal Sicilian diagonal of d8-a5, but at the cost of placing the queen's knight on a square from where it is less active than it would be on c6.
5.0-0 Ngf6 6.Qe2 e6
The general rule-of-thumb in positions like this is that if Black fianchettoes the king's bishop, White should build a classical centre with c3 and d4, but if Black develops the king's bishop at e7, White should go for a Maróczy Bind.
7.d4
The immediate 7.c4 is possible, the point being if Black prevents the bind with 7...e5!? Black is left with a bad bishop.
7...cxd4 8.Nxd4 Be7 9.c4 0-0 10.Nc3 Rc8 11.Rd1
The mainline in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database runs 11.b3 a6 12.Bb2 Qa5 and either 13.Rac1 or 13.Rad1, in each case with a slight edge for White, according to Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02.
11...a6 12.Bd2
Not 12.b3? b5.
12...Qc7
Torsten Sarbok (2325) - Nick de Firmian (2536), Gausdal (Norway) 2003, went 12...Qb6 13.Be1!? Rfe8 14.Rac1 Bf8 15.b3 with a slight edge to White, according to the engines (½–½, 22 moves).
13.b3 Ne5 14.Rac1 Nc6 15.Be3 Nd7 16.h3!?
I regretted this during the game as a waste of time, but the engines are OK with it, although they prefer 16.Nxc6!?, and if 16...bxc6 then 17.f4.
16...Rfe8 17.f4 Nxd4 18.Bxd4 Bf6
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| How should White proceed? |
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19.Qe3
The engines reckon White is slightly better after the semi-forcing 19.Bxf6 Nxf6 20.e5 dxe5 21.fxe5 Nd7 and 22.Ne4!
19...Rcd8 20.Bxf6 Nxf6 21.e5?!
Almost certainly better is 21.Rd3 with Rcd1 to come.
21...dxe5 22.fxe5?!
This gives White an inferior version of the note to move 19. Almost certainly better is 22.Qxe5, when Black should probably avoid exchanging queens as 22...Qxe5?! 23.fxe5 Nd7 can be met by 24.Ne4!. the point being 24...Nxe5?! can be met by 25.Nd6 Re7 26.Nxb7, when the threat of back-rank mate means the white knight cannot be captured, so White is left with a powerful 3-1 queenside pawn-majority.
22...Nd7 23.Re1
More-or-less forced as 23.Ne4?! can be met by 23...Qxe5.
23...Qc5
The engines prefer 23...h6 or 23...Nb8, with probably a slight edge for Black.
24.Rcd1 Qxe3+ 25.Qxe3 Nb8?!
The game is level after 25...Kf8, according to the engines.
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| What should White play? |
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26.Red3
The engines reckon White is slightly better after 26.Rd6!?, when they give best-play as 26...Rxd6 27.exd6 and now either 27....Rc8 or 27...Kf8, in each case with an edge for White.
26...Rxd3
If 26...Nc6 then 27.Rxd8 Rxd8 28.Rxd8+ Nxd8 29.Na4 with maybe a slight edge for White.
27.Rxd3 Nc6 28.Rd7!?
Giving up a pawn but keeping the white rook active. If 28.Re3 then 28...Rd8 gives Black the open file and something of an initiative, eg 29.Kf1 Kf8 30.Ke2 Nd4+ 31.Kf2 Nc2 with a slight edge, according to the engines.
28...Rb8 29.Ne4 Nxe5 30.Rc7 Kf8
The engines prefer 30...b6.
31.Nd6?!
Almost certainly better is 31.Nc5, which, like the text, hits b7 but at the same threatens a6 if the b7 pawn moves.
31...b6 32.c5?
Better is 32.Nc8, and if 32...Ke8 then 33.Nd6+, forcing 33...Kf8 as 33...Kd8? fails to 34.Ra7.
32...bxc5 33.Rxc5 Rd8 34.Ne3 Rd5 35.Rc8+?!
Almost certainly preferable is 35.Rxd5 exd5 36.Nc5, although the engines reckon Black is much better after 36...a5.
35...Ke7 36.Ra8 a5?!
Much stronger seems to be the engines' 36...f5, eg 37.Ng3 Rd1+ 38.Kh2 Rd6.
37.Ra7+ Ke8 38.Nc3 Rc5
This does not spoil anything, but Black needs to find ...Nc6.
39.Ne4 Rd5 40.Nc3 Rc5
After 40...Nc6 Black is at least slightly better, according to the engines.
41.Ne4 ½–½
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