Scotch
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Qf6!?
This often transposes to mainlines but can have independent significance if, as here, White avoids 5.Be3 and 5.Nxc6.
5.Nb3!?
The knight withdraws from the centre without gaining a tempo by hitting a bishop on c5, as happens in the line 4...Bc5 5.Nb3. On the other hand the black queen is now awkwardly placed, occupying the best development square of the black king's knight.
5...Qg6 6.Qe2!?
This has been played by Hikaru Nakamura, but the mainline in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database runs 6.f3 Bd6!? 7.Nc3!? Nge7!? with a position Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02 reckon may favour White (their evaluations fluctuate). The game Adam Tukhaev (2552) - Nikita Maiorov (2560), Voronezh (Russia) 2015, saw 7...Bxh2?! 8.Rxh2! Qg3+ 9.Ke2 Qxh2 10.Nd5 with Bf4 to follow (1-0, 19 moves).
6...Nf6 7.f3 Bd6 8.Nc3!? Bxh2!?
Judging by body language, MK had missed this capture, but it is by no means clear it is the best move as White gets a fair amount of compensation for a pawn.
9.Be3
9.Rxh2?! Qg3+ 10.Qf2 Qxh2 probably favours Black as Black has the d5 square covered, meaning a quick Bf4 is not to be feared. However the engines reckon 9.g4!? Bg3+ 10.Kd1 gives White at least full compensation.
9...Bg3+ 10.Bf2 0-0?!
Probably better is 10...Qg5, preventing, or at least delaying, long castling by White.
11.0-0-0
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| With both sides having castled, how would you assess the position? |
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Black is a pawn up but White has more space in the centre and his pieces, apart from the light-square bishop, are well-placed. Stockfish15 gives White a slight edge; Komodo13.02 calls the position equal.
11...a5 12.a4
The engines prefer 12.Kb1, or a queen move to unblock the light-square bishop.
12...b6?!
Probably better is playing directly for ...d5 with 12...Nb4.
13.Kb1 Re8?!
Stockfish15 at first reckons Black is losing after this, later coming to give White 'only' the upper hand. Komodo13.02 at first reckons the position is equal, later coming to give White a slight edge. Probably better is 13...Nb4.
14.Qe1
Stockfish15 much prefers 14.Bxg3 Qxg3 15.Qd2, claiming White is either winning or at least has the upper hand. Komodo13.02 also likes the line, but gives White at best a slight edge.
14...Bxf2
The engines prefer keeping bishops on with 14...Be5.
15.Qxf2 Bb7 16.g4 Nb4?!
This seems too slow. Stockfish15 gives 16...d5!?, and if 17.exd5 then 17...Nb4.
17.Bd3?!
MK spent something like 35 minutes on this move, calling to mind grandmaster John Nunn's rule-of-thumb that spending more than 20 minutes over a move often leads to a player coming up with a stinker. The text may not be that, but much better, according to the engines, are 17.Bb5 and 17.Qh2.
17...Nxd3 18.Rxd3 Ba6
Again there was a chance to get in ...d5!?, meeting 19.exd5 with 19...Rad8, eg 20.Rhd1 Qg5.
19.Rd2
The engines prefer 19.Rdd1!?, meeting 19...d5 with 20.g5!? Qxg5 and either 21.f4 (Stockfish15) or 21.Qh2 (Komodo13.02).
19...Rad8?!
Again almost certainly too slow. Stockfish15 likes 19...d5, although giving White the upper hand after 20.g5!? Qxg5 21.Nxd5 Nxd5 22.Rxd5.
20.Qg3 d6 21.Rh2
Even stronger, according to the engines, is 21.g5 followed by Nd4.
21...Re5 22.Nd4 Rde8 23.Nf5 Bc8 24.Qf4 d5 25.g5
The engines' 25.Nb5! wins the exchange as there is no way to stop the knight landing on c7, from where it attacks the e8 rook, which is tied to the e5 rook. Best play seems to run 25.Nb5! dxe4 26.Nxc7 exf3 27.Nxe8 Rxe8 28.Qxf3, when Black has a pawn for the exchange but is lost, according to the engines.
25...dxe4?
Correct is 25...Bxf5 26.gxf6 dxe4 27.Rxh7 (only move) Qxh7 28.Rxh7 Bxh7 29.fxe4 with an equal position, according to the engines.
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| White to play and win |
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26.Nxg7! Rxg5
Almost certainly worse is 26...Qxg7?! 27.gxf6 Qg6 28.Rh6.
27.Nxe8 Rg1+ 28.Ka2 Be6+ 29.b3 Nxe8 30.Rxg1 Qxg1 31.Nxe4 Qg6 32.Qd2 Qf5 33.Qe3 Nf6 34.Rg2+ Kf8
Not 34...Kh8? 35.Qh6 etc.
35.Rg5 Nd5 36.Rxf5?
White is still winning after 36.Qd4 or 36.Qd2.
36...Nxe3 37.Rh5 Nxc2 38.Rxh7 Nd4 39.Nd2
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| How would you assess this ending? |
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Black has a pawn for the exchange, Black's only vulnerable point would seem to be c7 and White cannot create a passed pawn by normal play. Even so an exchange is an exchange - Komodo13.02 gives White the upper hand, although Stockfish15 only gives White a slight edge, later changing its evaluation to equality. I suspect the latter engine is nearer the truth.
39...Ke7 40.Kb2 Bd5 41.Rh5!? Bxf3?
Walking into a trap, which I saw almost as soon as I played the move.
42.Rh4 c5
Even worse is 42...Nf5? 43.Rf4.
43.Rxd4 cxd4 44.Nxf3 Kd6 45.Kc2?
White wins easily with 45.Nxd4, eg 45...Kc5 46.Kc3 f5 47.Nxf5 b5 48.Nd4 bxa4 49.bxa4, after which Black will lose the a5 pawn, allowing the a4 pawn to queen.
45...Kc5 46.Kd3 b5 47.axb5 Kxb5 48.Nxd4 Kb4 49.Nc6+ ½–½
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