The time limit is all moves in an hour plus a 30-second increment, with games ECF rated but not sent to Fide (the time control is too fast).
I took a half-point bye in last week's first round of the open as I was abroad, but I played last night in round two.
Max Phillips (1694) - Spanton (1949)
Scotch Four Knights
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nxd4 Bb4
5...Bc5!? has become quite a popular alternative to the text, which nevertheless very much remains the mainline.
6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.Bd3 d5 8.exd5 cxd5 9.0-0 0-0
 |
| There are 10,790 games with this position in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database |
*****
*****
*****
*****
10.Bg5
This is easily the most popular continuation although it only scores 50% in Mega22.
10...c6 11.Qf3 h6!?
Provoking White to smash up Black's kingside. The mainline continues 11...Be7 12.h3 h6 13.Bf4 Bd6 14.Rfe1, which is equal according to Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02.
12.Bxf6 Qxf6 13.Qxf6 gxf6
Black has the bishop-pair and the only central pawn, and meanwhile hopes the king can defend the black pawn weaknesses.
14.Rae1
This may be new. Most popular is 14.Ne2 Bd6 15.Nd4 c5 16.Nf5 Bxf5 17.Bxf5, when the engines reckon White is slightly better but the game looks rather drawish.
14...d4 15.a3 Ba5 16.b4 dxc3?!
Probably better is 16...Bxb4 17.axb4 dxc3. Either way Black ends up with six isolated pawns, four of which are doubled.
17.bxa5 Be6 18.Re3 Rab8 19.Be4 Bd5 20.Bxd5 cxd5 21.Rxc3 Rfc8
 |
| Black is slightly more active, and White's extra pawn on the a file is worth little, but the multiple black weaknesses must count for something |
*****
*****
*****
*****
22.Rxc8+?!
Probably better is 22.Rb3, when the engines continue 22...Ra8!?, awarding White a slight edge, eg 23.Rb5!? Rxc2 24.Rxd5.
22...Rxc8 23.g3
Or 23.Rc1 Rc3 etc.
23...Rxc2 24.Rd1 Rc5 25.Kg2!? Rxa5
In the space of three moves White has gone from a pawn up to a pawn down, but the engines reckon the game is equal.
26.Rd3 f5 27.f3?!
This is somewhat slow and passive. Stockfish15 gives 27.Rf3!? d4 28.Kf1 Kh7!? 29.Rf4 d3 30.a4 d2!? 31.Rd2 Rxa4!? 32.Rxd2, which the engines agree is dead-equal despite Black's extra pawn. Komodo13.02 gives 27.Kf3 Kg7 28.a4!? Kf6 29.Rd4 Rc5 30.Rh4!? Kg5 31.Rd4, with again the engines agreeing the position is dead-equal.
27...Kg7 28.g4?!
28.f4 looks better.
28...Kf6 29.h4 f4 30.Kf2?!
The engines much prefer 30.Rc3 but claim Black is well on top after 30...Ra6.
30...Ke5 31.Ke2 Ra4 32.Kd2?
The pawn-down rook-and-pawn ending is very difficult for White but the pawn-down pawn ending is hopeless.
32...Rd4 33.Kc2 Rxd3 34.Kxd3 Kd6 35.Kd4
If 35.g5 then 35...h5 is simplest.
35...f6 0-1
No comments:
Post a Comment