Luca Buanne (2165) - Spanton (1955)
Catalan
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.g3!?
3.Nf3 is arguably less committal but the text has been played by many grandmasters and scores an excellent 60% - the same as 3.Nf3 - in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database.
3...Nf6
For quite some time 3...Nc6!? is the top choice of Stockfish15. The idea is to continue with capturing on c4, eg 4.Bg2 dxc4 5.Nf3 Rb8!? 6.0-0 Nf6, which is a transposition to a position occurring 1,272 times in Mega22.
4.Bg2 Bb4+ 5.Nd2!?
Kasparov, Caruana, Nakamura and So are among those who have played this alternative to the mainline 5.Bd2.
5...0-0
Note that 5...dxc4?? loses a piece to 6.Qa4+, as 6...Nc6 is met by 7.Bxc6+ etc. Among those to have fallen into this trap are two players rated over 2500, albeit one at blitz and one in a rapidplay.
6.e3!?
Normal is 6.Nf3, but the text has been played by a 2457 (at blitz).
6...Nbd7 7.Nf3 Ne4?!
It was probably better to get on with developing the queenside, eg 7...b6.
8.0-0 Nxd2?! 9.Bxd2 Bxd2?! 10.Nxd2
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| Black has simplified the position, but in White's favour as an active black bishop and knight have been exchanged for an inactive white bishop and knight |
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10...c6 11.e4?
Presumably missing Black's strong reply. White would have the upper hand, according to Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02, after 11.Qb3 or 11.Re1.
11...Qb6 12.cxd5 exd5 13.exd5 cxd5 14.Bxd5
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| How should Black proceed? |
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14...Qxd4?!
Probably better is 14...Nf6, eg 15.Bg2 Qxd4 with an equal position.
15.Nc4 Qxd1 16.Rfxd1 Nb6?
Forcing off another pair of pieces but contracting queenside weaknesses for the coming endgame. White has at best only a slight edge after 16...Nf6.
17.Nxb6 axb6 18.a3 Re8 19.Rac1 Re7 20.Re1 Be6 21.Bxe6 fxe6 22.Red1 Kf7
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| A fairly reliable endgame rule-of-thumb is it takes two weaknesses to create a win for the opponent, and two weaknesses are what Black has here |
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23.Rc3 Ke8 24.Rd6 Rd8?!
Probably better is 24...Ra6, and if 25.Rb3 then 25...b5!, but Black cannot avoid losing a pawn in the long medium run.
25.Rxb6 Rd1+ 26.Kg2 Rd2 27.Rc8+ Kf7 28.Rb8 Rdd7 29.a4 Kf6 30.a5 Ke5 31.Rc8 Rd6 32.Rc5+ Rd5 33.Rcb5 Rxb5 34.Rxb5+ Kd6 35.Rb6+ Kc7 36.Kf3 Rf7+ 37.Ke3 Rf6 38.f3 g5 39.Rb5 h6 40.Ke4 Rf7 41.Rb6 Rf6 42.b4 h5 43.Rb5 g4 44.f4 Rh6 45.Rb6 h4 46.f5!?
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| 46.f5!? is the simplest way to win, but it needed to be accurately calculated |
*****
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46...hxg3 47.hxg3 exf5+ 48.Kxf5 Rxb6!?
Hopeless, but giving up the g4 pawn is hardly an improvement.
The game finished:
49.axb6+ Kxb6 50.Kxg4 Kb5 51.Kh5 Kxb4 52.g4 Kc3 53.g5 b5 54.g6 b4 55.g7 b3 56.g8=Q b2 57.Qh7 1-0
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