Paul Stokes (1902) - Spanton (1952)
Catalan
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 c5 4.Bg2 Nc6 5.0-0 Nf6 6.c4
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| There are 7,104 games with this position in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database |
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6...dxc4
Stockfish15 likes this move, which is slightly more popular than Komodo13.02's choice 6...Be7. After the latter the mainline in Mega22 runs 7.cxd5 exd5 8.Nc3 0-0, which is a transposition to the Tarrasch, the position occurring 15,057 times in Mega22.
7.Ne5
The stem game, Richard Réti - Paul Leonhardt, Berliner SG 100th Anniversary (Berlin) 1928, saw 7.Qa4+ Bd7 8.Qxc4 Qb6 9.dxc5 Qxc5 10.Qxc5 Bxc5 11.Nc3, when White may have a slight edge, according to the engines (½–½, 41 moves). They prefer 7.dxc5!? Qxd1 8.Rxd1 Bxc5 9.Nbd2 c3!? 10.bxc3, claiming a slight edge for White. The text, which has been played by Garry Kasparov and Fabiano Caruana, threatens a double-capture on c6 as well as introducing the possibility of Nxc4.
7...Nxe5!?
The engines prefer offering the bishop-pair with 7...Bd7. After 8.Nxd7 Qxd7 9.dxc5 Bxc5 10.Nc3 White has full compensation for a pawn, but no more, according to the engines. Most games have instead seen 8.Na3 cxd4 9.Naxc4, when Kasparov (2795) - Deep Blue (-), Match Game Two (Philadelphia) 1996, continued 9...Bc5 10.Qb3 0-0!? 11.Qxb7!? Nxe5 12.Nxe5 Rb8 13.Qf3!? with an equal position, according to the engines (but 1-0, 73 moves).
8.dxe5 Nd5!?
Slightly better, according to the engines, is 8...Qxd1 9.Rxd1 Nd5!?, when 10.Bxd5 exd5 11.Rxd5 Be6 reaches a hard-to-assess position - they start by favouring Black, but become less sure when given more time. Instead of capturing on d5 the engines suggest 10.Nc3!?, when they reckon 10...Nxc3 11.bxc3 gives White more than enough compensation for a pawn.
9.Qa4+ Bd7 10.Qxc4 b5!? 11.Qb3!?
White has at least a slight edge after 11.Qe5, according to the engines.
11...c4 12.Qd1 Qc7
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| How should White proceed? |
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13.Bf4
The engines prefer giving up the light-square bishop with 13.Bxd5!? exd5 and either 14.Qxd5 Bc6 15.Qd4 or 14.Nc3 Bc6 15.a4!?, in each case with a roughly equal position. They also like 13.a4 b4 14.e4!?, again evaluating the position as giving equal chances.
13...Rd8?
Black has a slight edge after 13...Bc6, according to the engines, The text allows a simple combination.
14.Qc1?
Correct is 14.Bxd5, when 14...exd5? 15.e6 wins for White. Black is forced to try 14...Bc8 but White wins a pawn, eg 15.Nc3 exd5 16.Nxd5 (or 16.Nxb5). Slightly less convincing, according to the engines, is 15.e4 exd5 16.exd5 Qb7, but it is still better for White.
14...Bc6 15.Nc3?!
Probably better is 15.a4. putting pressure on the black queenside.
15...Nxc3 16.Qxc3 Bxg2 17.Kxg2 Be7 18.Qc2?!
Again it is probably better to pressurise Black's queenside, this time by 18.b3, according to the engines.
18...Qb7+ 19.f3 0-0
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| Black has the upper hand (Stockfish15) or at least is slightly better (Komodo13.02) |
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20.h4 Rd7 21.Rfd1 Rfd8 22.Rac1?!
Better, according to the engines, is 22.Rxd7 followed by 23.a4.
22...Rxd1 23.Rxd1 Rxd1 24.Qxd1 Qd5 25.Qc2
The engines initially disagree about 25.Qxd5?! exd5. Stockfish15 claims it wins for Black, while Komodo13.02 at first reckons Black only has a slight edge, although given more time it comes to give Black the upper hand and eventually agrees Black is winning.
25...Bc5 26.Qd2?
This loses a pawn, but White faced a very difficult defence in any event.
26...Qxd2 0-1
After 27.Bxd2 Bd4 White cannot play 28.Bc3? as 28...Bxc3 29.bxc3 b4 is a simple win.
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