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| Grainger Street |
Gustavo León Cazares (2168 ECF/2071 Fide) - Spanton (1949 ECF/1852 Fide)
Spanish Berlin
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.0-0 Nd4 6.Bc4!?
There are just 31 examples of this move in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database, but it has been played against me the last three times I have reached the position after 5...Nd4.
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| How should Black respond? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
6...Nxf3+!?
6...Nxf3+!?
The main move in Mega22 runs 6...d6, after which White usually chooses between 7.Nxd4, 7.c3 and 7.h3. The text develops the white queen for free, as it were, but it is far from clear whether the queen is well-placed on f3.
7.Qxf3 d6 8.Nc3 c6 9.h3
Melikset Khachiyan (2480) - František Vrána (2250), Pardubice (Czechia) 1996, went 9.Be3 Bb6 10.h3 Be6 with an equal game, according to Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02 (but 1-0, 38 moves).9...a5
With the not-so-subtle threat of trapping the white light-square bishop with 10...b5 etc.
10.a4 Be6 11.Be3 Bxe3 12.Qxe3
Probably not 12.fxe3?! Bxc4 13.dxc4, when Black has a semi-backward d pawn but White has two sets of doubled pawns, including a pair of isolanis.
12...0-0
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| How should White proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
13.f4?
Missing Black's threat. The engines reckon 13.Bxe6 and 13.Ne2 maintain an even game.
13...exf4 14.Rxf4 Nh5 15.Rf2 d5 16.exd5 cxd5 17.Bxd5??
Better is 17.Bb3, although 17...d4 18.Qf3 dxc3 19.Qxh5 cxb2 20.Rb1 Bxb3 21.cxb3 Qxd3 is good for Black.
17....Bxd5 18.Qe5
Possibly better is the engines' 18.Qc5!? Nf6 19.Rxf6 Qxf6 20.Nxd5 (20.Qxd5? gives White a worse version of the game after 20...Qb6+), but 20...Qxb2 leaves White the exchange down without much prospect of tricks.
18...Nf6 19.Rxf6 gxf6 20.Qxd5 Qb6+ 21.d4 Qxb2 22.Ne4!?
Desperation, but White loses a piece whatever he plays.
The game finished:
22...Qxa1+ 23.Kh2 Qf1 24.Qd6 Ra6 25.Qg3+ Kh8 26.Nd6 Rxd6!? 27.Qxd6 Rg8 28.Qd5 Qf4+ 0-1
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