Randolph E Donahue (1789) - Spanton (1952)
U2000
Giuoco Piano
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d4!?
An interesting gambit that scores a very good 61% for White in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database.
5...Bxd4 6.Nxd4 Nxd4
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| For a pawn White has the bishop-pair and is able to quickly generate tactical threats |
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7.Bg5!?
7.Bg5!?
The mainline runs 7.f4 d6 8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Bg5, slightly favouring Black, according to Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02, which reckon Black's best continuation is 9...Qe7!? After 10.Na3 Be6 (this is the commonest move in Mega22, but better may be the almost-as-popular 10...Rg8!?) 11.c3 Bxc4 12.Bxf6 gxf6 13.Nxc4 Ne6 White's large lead in development, better pawn-structure and safer king at least compensate for being a pawn down.
7...h6 8.Bh4 d6
8...g5 9.f4! seems good for White, eg 9...gxh4 10.fxe5 wins the piece back with a continuing attack, and 9...gxf4, which has been played by at least one grandmaster and is the second-most popular continuation in Mega22, loses to 10.Rxf4! exf4 11.Qxd4 etc. Best may be 9...d5!? 10.exd5 gxh4 11.fxe5 Nxd5 12.Qxd4 Be6, although White is clearly better.
9.f4 b5!?
This may be a novelty. The mainline runs 9...Bg4 10.Bxf6 Bxd1 11.Bxd8 Rxd8 12.Rxd1 Nxc2 13.Nc3 Nxa1 14.Rxa1 with an unclear position, but one that Russian grandmaster Igor Lysyi has had twice as Black in Mega22, losing to a 2347 and drawing with a 2135.
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| How should White respond? |
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10.fxe5
10.fxe5
There are many interesting continuations, including 10.Bxb5+ Nxb5 11.fxe5 dxe5 12.Qxd8+ Kxd8 13.Rxf6! Ke8 14.Rc6 f6 15.a4 Nd4 16.Rxc7 and 10.Bxf6 gxf6 11.Bd3 Bd7 12.f5!?, but the text may be as good as any.
10...dxe5 11.Bxf7+?
But this is too optimistic. The engines give 11.Bxb5+ Nxb5, transposing to the first line in the previous note.
11...Kxf7 12.Qh5+ g6
The engines reckon 12...Ke6!? is probably even stronger.
13.Qxe5 g5 14.Nc3
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| How should Black continue? |
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14...Kg6?
14...Be6? loses to 15.Bf2!, according to the engines, eg 15...Nc6 16.Qxb5 Qe8 17.Nd5 Rb8 18.Qc5 Nxe4 19.Bd4+ Kg8 20.Qxc6. But Black seems to be winning after both 14...Re8 and 14...gxh4.
15.Rad1
Slightly better may be the engines' 15.Bf2!?
15...Ng4!
This is the only move that does not lose, according to the engines.
16.Qc5 Qd6 17.Qxd6 cxd6 18.Rxd4 gxh4 19.Rxd6+ Kg7
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| White only has two pawns for a bishop, but Black has weak pawns and an exposed king |
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20.Nxb5
Taking a third pawn, but slightly better, according to the engines, is first 20.h3.
20...Rb8 21.a4 a6 22.Na7?
Better is 22.Nd4, eg 22...Rxb2 23.h3 Ne3 24.Rf4, which Stockfish15 reckons is equal although Komodo13.02 gives Black at least a slight edge..
22...Rxb2 23.Rc6?!
Both 23.h3 Ne3 and 23.Nxc8 Rxc8 are good for Black, but the engines reckon the text is even worse.
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| Black to play and win |
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23...Bb7?
This allows a perpetual, whereas 23...Bd7 24.Rc7 Ne5 solves Black's difficulties and allows a win on material.
24.Rc7+ Kg6 25.Nc6 Bxc6
More-or-less forced as 25...Re8?! 26.Ne7+ gives White a strong attack, eg 26...Kg7 27.Nf5+ Kh8 28.Nd6, when 28...Rb8?! runs into 29.h3 Ne3?! 30.Rff7 etc.
The game finished:
26.Rxc6+ Kg7 27.h3 Ne3 28.Rc7+ Kg6 29.Rc6+ Kg7 ½–½
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