Spanton (1949 ECF/1852 Fide) - Maksym Larchikov (1717 ECF/1575 Fide)
Sicilian Bb5(+)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.0-0 Nc6 6.Qe2!?
The mainline in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database runs 6.c3 Nf6 7.Re1 e6 8.d4 cxd4 9.cxd4 d5 10.e5 Ne4 11.Nbd2 Nxd2 12.Bxd2 Be7 with what Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02 reckon is an equal position.
6...Nf6 7.Rd1 e6
Stockfish15 likes the interesting thrust 7...g5!?, continuing 8.c3 (8.Nxg5? Nd4) g4 9.Nh4 0-0-0, rating the position as giving equal chances.
8.d4 cxd4 9.Nxd4 Nxd4!?
Normal is 9...Be7.
10.Rxd4 Qc6?!
This is the main move in Mega22, but it is not liked by the engines - they prefer 10...Rc8!?
11.Nc3
Stronger seems to be immediately hitting the black queen with 11.Rc4.
11...Be7?
Black needed to play 11...Rc8, according to the engines.
12.Rc4 Qd7 13.Nb5!?
This wins a pawn.
13...Rc8
Or 13...0-0 14.Rc7 and Rxb7.
14.Rxc8+ Qxc8 15.Nxa7 Qc5 16.Be3 Qe5
 |
| How should White proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
17.Qb5+?
This simplification allows equality. The engines give 17.c3, and if 17...Nxe4 (17...Qxe4? 18.Qb5+) then 18.Bd4 or 18.Nc8, in each case claiming White has at least the upper hand.
17...Qxb5 18.Nxb5 Nxe4 19.Rd1 0-0
The engines prefer 19...Kd7!? or 19...d5.
20.f3 Nf6 21.Bf4 d5 22.c3 Ra8 23.a3 Bc5+ 24.Kf1 Ra5?!
Black needs to take more care of the back rank.
25.Nd4?!
Almost certainly stronger is 25.c4, when Black probably has nothing better than retreating the rook to a8 or the bishop to e7.
25...Ra4 26.Bc1 Bxd4?!
Giving up bishop for knight is questionable when it leaves the opponent with rook and bishop versus rook and knight.
27.Rxd4
Stockfish15, but not Komodo13.02, narrowly prefers 27.b3!? with 28.Rxd4 to follow.
27...Rxd4
Now we get an ending with rival pawn-majorities in which White has the more-useful minor piece.
28.cxd4
 |
| How would you assess this minor-piece ending? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
Rival pawn-majorities favour a bishop over a knight, but the white pawn fixed on d4 makes the bishop slightly bad and means the knight will be able to occupy a useful outpost at c4 once the white b pawn pushes on. Komodo13.02 gives White a slight edge; Stockfish13.02 rates the position as more-or-less equal.
28...Nd7 29.Ke2 Kf8 30.Bd2 Nb6 31.Kd3 Ke7 32.Bb4+ Kd7 33.b3 Nc8
ML offered a draw.
34.Bc5 b6 35.Bb4 Na7 36.Bf8 g6 37.a4 Nc6 38.Kc3 Ke8 39.Bh6 f6 40.Be3 Kd7 41.f4?!
Discouraging ...e5, but that was not possible yet anyway, and putting another pawn on the same colour complex as the bishop is almost certainly wrong. The engines agree the position is now completely equal.
41...h5 42.Bd2 Kc7 43.Kd3 Kd7 44.Bc3 Ne7 45.b4 Nf5 46.Be1 Nd6 47.Kc3 Nf5 48.Bf2 Nd6 49.Kb3 Ne4 50.Bh4 Nd2+ 51.Ka2 Nf1!? 52.Bxf6 Nxh2 53.Kb3 Ng4
 |
| What should White play? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
54.Bg5?
54.Bh4 maintains equality; the text loses a pawn.
54...Ne3 55.f5
Or 55.g3 Nf5 56.Bh4 Nxd4+.
55...Nxf5 56.Bf6?
Better is 56.Kc3, but Black has all the winning chances.
56...Ne3 57.g3 Nf5 58.Be5 g5
Black will create a winning passed pawn.
The game finished:
59.b5 h4 60.gxh4 gxh4 61.Kb4 Kc8 62.Kc3 Ne3 63.Kd3 Ng4 64.Bd6 h3 65.Ke2 e5!? 66.Bxe5 Nxe5 67.dxe5 0-1
No comments:
Post a Comment