Dresden Game Eight

Jürgen Bussler (1881) - Spanton (1764)

QGD Semi-Tarrasch

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 c5 5.dxc5!?

This has been played by grandmasters but is nowhere near as popular as 5.Bg5, 5.e3 and especially 5.cxd5.

5...Bxc5 6.e3

This has also been played by GMs but the usual idea is to give Black an IQP by 6.cxd5 etc. Steinitz tried 6.a3!? in an 1897 game.

6...0-0 7.Be2 dxc4 8.Qxd8 Rxd8 9.Bxc4 Nc6 10.0-0 a6

The position is symmetrical, except Black has got in the extra moves ...Rxd8 and ...a6

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11.Rd1

This is Stockfish15's choice (Komodo13.02 prefers 11.a3), but after ...

11...Rxd1+ 12.Nxd1

... it is hard to believe Black does not have an edge.

12...b5 13.Be2 Bb7 14.Bd2

JB offered a draw in my time (just). Heinz Rudnik (2196) - Ingvar Ásmundsson (2288), European Seniors Individual (Bad Homburg, Germany) 2005, saw 14.b3 Rd8 15.Bb2 Nb4 16.h3 Nd3 17.Bd4?! Bxf3 18.Bxf3?! Bxd4 19.exd4 Rxd4 (0-1, 53 moves).

14...Ne4 15.Be1 Nb4

The engines prefer the modest 15...Be7!?

16.Nc3 Rd8 17.Rd1?

The engines reckon White is fine after, for example, 17.Nxe4 Bxe4 18.Rc1
17...Rxd1 18.Bxd1 Nxc3 19.Bxc3

This is slightly better than 19.bxc3 as Black then gets a passed a pawn with 19...Nxa2 - the black knight cannot be trapped, eg 20.Bc2 b4.

19...Nxa2 20.Ba5 Kf8 21.Kf1 Bd5 22.Ne5 Bb4 23.Bb6 Ke7 24.f3 Bd6 25.Nd3 Nb4

Capturing a second pawn with 25...Bxh2 is also possible as the bishop cannot be trapped, but the text is good enough to keep what the engines reckon is a winning advantage.

26.Be2?

There was nothing better than allowing further simplification with 26.Nxb4.

26...Nxd3 27.Bxd3 Bxh2 0-1