Spanish Exchange
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.d4 exd4 6.Qxd4 Qxd4 7.Nxd4 Bd7 8.Be3 0-0-0 9.Nc3!?
The main move in Chessbase's 2023 Mega database is 9.Nd2, but Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02 narrowly prefer the text.
9...Ne7 10.f3 f6 11.Rd1!?
Planning to keep the king in the centre - a favourite strategy of Emanuel Lasker.
11...Ng6 12.Kf2 h5 13.Nb3 b6 14.Nd4 Ne5 15.Rhe1 g6 16.Nce2 c5 17.Nb3 g5 18.Nc3 c6 19.Nc1!?
Accepting that Black can swop knight for bishop to bring about a battle of bishop-pair against knight-pair. The engines do not like this.
19...Nc4 20.Nd3 Bd6
Black has a large advantage after 20...Nxe3, according to the engines.
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| How should White proceed? |
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21.Kg1
The engines reckon 21.e5!? equalises, eg 21...Nxe5 22.Ne4 Nxd3+ 23.Rxd3 Bxh2 24.Nxf6 (24.g3? h4) Be5 25.Bxg5 Bxb2 26.Kf1 with what the engines claim is enough activity to fully compensate for being a pawn down.
21...Nxe3 22.Rxe3 c4 23.Nf3 Bf4 24.Ree1 Be6!?
This is the top choice of Komodo13.02 (Stockfish15 prefers 24...Be5), but it is double-edged as allowing rooks to come off brings about an ending in which Black has the only long-range pieces, but White has the superior pawn-structure.
25.Rxd8+ Rxd8 26.Rd1 Rd2!? 27.Rxd2 Bxd2 28.Nfd1 Bf4 29.Ne2 Bd6 30.g3!?
The only realistic way for White to win is by advancing the kingside pawns, but this is not easy when the bishops can switch between pressurising each wing and even pressurise both wings at the same time.
30...Bc5+ 31.Kg2 Kc7 32.h3 b5 33.c3 Bd6 34.Nd4 Bd7 35.Ne3 Be5 36.Ne2 Kb6 37.f4 Bc7 38.fxg5!?
Creating a passed but isolated pawn.
38...fxg5 39.Nf5 Be5 40.Ned4 b4 41.Ne2 a5
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| The white passer is blockaded, and Black enjoys pressure against the white queenside |
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42.Kf3 c5 43.h4?!
White should probably hold tight with 43.Ke3, or advance with 43.g4.
43...gxh4?!
Even stronger seems to be 43...g4+, or 43...bxc3 followed by 44...g4+.
44.gxh4 Kc7?!
The king should probably be adding to the queenside pressure by 44...Kb5.
45.Nf4?!
White is equal after 45.Ne3, according to the engines.
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| What should Black play? |
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45...Bxf5!?
Giving up the bishop-pair is Komodo13.02's top choice for a while, but the engines come to agree that best is 45...a4!?, eg 46.Nd5+ Kc6 47.Nfe3 Bg4+ 48.Kf2 a3! 49.Nxc4 axb2 50.Nxb2 bxc3 51.Nd3 Bd4+ 52.Kg2 Bd1 53.Kg3 c2 54.a4 Bb2 etc.
46.exf5 Kd6
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| Black no longer has the bishop-pair, but the remaining bishop is stronger than the knight |
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47.Nxh5?
The knight should not be decentralised like this. Best, according to the engines, is 47.f6!? Bxf6, and now 48.Nxh5, the point being the knight gains a tempo with which to recentralise. However after 48...Bxh4 the engines reckon Black is winning, eg 49.Nf4 Bf6 50.Ne2 Kd5 51.a3 Bg7 52.Nf4+ Kc6 53.axb4 cxb4 54.Ne2 Bxc3! 55.bxc3 b3 etc.
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| Black to play and win |
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47...Bxc3??
The right idea, but bad timing turns a win into a loss. Probably simplest is 47...b3 48.a3 Bxc3! etc, but also winning is 47...a4, eg 48.Ke3 Bxc3! 49.bxc3 b3 50.axb3 a3 etc.
48.bxc3 b3 49.axb3 cxb3 50.Nf6
48.bxc3 b3 49.axb3 cxb3 50.Nf6
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| White wins thanks to having a possible check on e4 |
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50...Ke5
Or 50...b2 51.Ne4+ Ke5 52.Nd2 Kxf5 53.Nb1 etc.
51.Ne4 a4 52.f6 b2 53.Nd2 a3 54.f7!?
This wins easily enough, but simplest is 54.Nc4+ Kxf6 55.Nxa3, after which White will in due course promote either the h or c pawn.
54...a2 55.f8=Q a1=Q 56.Qxc5+ (1-0, 80 moves)
*German rating. MS does not have a Fide elo, and he told me before the game that this was his first tournament.
*German rating. MS does not have a Fide elo, and he told me before the game that this was his first tournament.
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