Spanish Exchange
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.d4 exd4 6.Qxd4 Qxd4 7.Nxd4 c5 8.Ne2 Bd6?!
This has been played by grandmasters, and is the second-most popular move in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database, but lets White force off the black bishop-pair. The stem game, Emanuel Lasker - Wilhelm Steinitz, World Championship Match Game 13 1894 (Montreal), saw 8...Bd7, which is still the main move today, one point being 9.Bf4 can be met by 9...0-0-0.
9.Bf4 Bxf4
Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02 marginally prefer contracting a backward d pawn with 9...Be6 10.Bxd6 cxd6.
10.Nxf4 Ne7 11.Nbc3 Bd7 12.Ncd5!?
Forcing off another pair of pieces and so getting closer to a favourable ending.
12...Nxd5 13.Nxd5 0-0-0 14.0-0-0 Rhe8 15.Rhe1 b5 16.Nc3!?
The engines prefer 16.Nf4 or 16.f3.
16...Bc6!? 17.Rxd8+ Rxd8 18.f3 b4 19.Ne2 Rd6 20.Nf4
This threatens 21.Nd3.
20...Bb5 21.Rd1 a5 22.Rd5
This forces the last pair of rooks off, getting down to a minor-piece ending.
22...Rxd5 23.Nxd5
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| How would you assess this ending? |
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Black has the longer-range piece, which is particularly handy when there are rival pawn-majorities. But there are lots of pawns on the board, which hampers the bishop more than the knight, and Black's pawn-majority cannot make a passer with normal play.
White has five pawns on light squares. The queenside ones are easily moved to dark squares, but the kingside ones could prove vulnerable, although they also restrict the bishop's freedom to move.
Stockfish15 gives White the upper hand; Komodo13.02 reckons White only has a slight edge.
23...Kd7 24.Ne3 c6?!
As a general rule Black should avoid putting pawns on the same coloured squares as the bishop as they obstruct the bishop's range.
25.a3
The engines like 25.b3!?
25...g6!? 26.Kd2 Kd6 27.f4 f6 28.Ng4 Ke6 29.Ke3 h5!?
Preventing a quick e5.
30.Nf2 Kd6 31.c3 Ba6 32.Nd3 Bc8!?
Both engines approve of giving up a pawn in this way, although they reckon White is winning. After, say, 32...bxa3 33.bxa3 Black will have huge problems defending the queenside.
33.axb4 axb4 34.cxb4
The engines reckon 34.c4!? is even stronger.
34...cxb4 35.Nxb4 Be6 36.Nd3 c5 37.e5+ fxe5 38.Nxe5?!
The engines much prefer 38.fxe5+.
38...Bf5 39.h3 Bb1 40.g4 hxg4 41.hxg4 Kd5 42.Nf3 Bc2 43.Nd2
Now either the black king withdraws or the bishop has to leave the b1-h7 diagonal.
43...Ke6
Play can quickly become complicated and unclear after 43...Bd1!?, eg 44.Ne4 Kc4!? (44...Bxg4?? 45.Nf6+) 45.f5 gxf5 46.gxf5 is completely equal, according to Stockfish15, but winning for White, according to Komodo13.02 (the former verdict is probably correct).
44.Nc4 Ba5?!
If 44...Bb1?! then 45.Na3 forces the bishop off the b1-h7 diagonal. But probably better is 44...Bd1 or 44...Kd5, eg 44...Bd1 45.g5 Bg4, after which White remains better but it is hard to see how progress can be made.
45.Kd2?!
The engines much prefer 45.Kf3 or 45.Kf2!?
45...Bc6 46.Ne5 Be4
The passive 46...Be8!? is marginally better, according to the engines.
47.Nd3 Kd6 48.Kd3 Bc6?!
Almost certainly better is the engines' 48...Bd5, one point being if, as in the game, 49.Ne5, Black can play 49...g5!?
49.Ne5 Be8
Not 49...g5? as both 50.Nxc6 and 50.Nf7+ win.
50.Ke4 Ke6
Black keeps the game going with 50...Ba4, but 51.Nc4+ (51.Nxg6?? Bc2+ etc) Ke6 52.f5+ seems winning.
51.Nxg6! Bc6+ 52.Ke3 1-0
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