Spanish Cozio
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bb5 Nge7 4.Nc3!?
The main moves in ChessBase's 2023 Mega database are 4.c3 and especially 4.0-0.
4...Ng6!?
Magnus Carlsen is among those who have played this, and it is quite liked by Stockfish15.1. The main move is 4...g6, but then 5.d4 exd4 6.Nd5!? is a little awkward for Black, eg 6...Bg7 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bf6 Bxf6 9.Nxf6+, or 6...Nxd5 7.exd5 Qe7+ 8.Kf1!?
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| Position after 4...Ng6!? - it looks similar to the Four Knights, except Black has spent two tempi putting the king's knight on g6 instead of one tempo putting it on f6 |
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5.d4 exd4 6.Nxd4 Nxd4!?
Capturing twice on d4 like this, bringing the white queen to the centre of the board, is unusual, but it has been played by the world champion.
7.Qxd4 c6 8.Bc4 Qb6 9.Be3!?
A positional pawn sacrifice.
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| How should Black respond? |
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9...Qxd4
All four games in Mega23 to reach the diagrammed position saw this capture, but Stockfish15.1 and Komodo14.1 slightly prefer 9...Qxb2!?, eg 10.0-0 Qb6!? 11.f4!? Qxd4 12.Bxd4, or 10.Rb1 Qa3 11.0-0 Qd6. In both cases the engines reckon White has full compensation for a pawn.
10.Bxd4 b5 11.Be2 Nf4 12.Bf3 Ne6 13.Be3 Bb4
Jón Loftur Árnason (2500) - Tom Wedberg (2495), Oslo Schakselskap Jubilee 1984, went 13...b4 14.Nb1 a5 15.a3 Rb8 16.axb4 Bxb4+ 17.Kd1!? with a slight edge for White, according to the engines (½–½, 43 moves).14.0-0-0
14.Bd2?! is probably unnecessarily passive.
14...0-0
After 14...Bxc3 15.bxc3 White's queenside pawn-formation is shattered but the pawns are not easy for Black to get at, and meanwhile Black has serious dark-square weaknesses.
15.e5
Threatening 16.Nxb5.
15...Bxc3
Virtually forced, as otherwise Ne4 is good for White.
16.bxc3 f6 17.exf6 Rxf6 18.Rd6 Nd8!?
The engines prefer something like 18...Kf7 (Stockfish15.1) or 18...a5 (Komodo14.1).
19.Rxf6 gxf6 20.Rd1 d5?
This allows a simple combination. The engines suggest something like 20...Kg7, albeit giving White at least the upper hand.
21.Rxd5! Nb7
There is no good move for Black, eg 21...Be6 runs into 22.Rxb5!
22.Rh5 Bd7 23.Be4 Nd6 24.Bxh7+ Kg7 25.Bd3 f5 26.Bf4 Ne4 27.f3!?
27.Bxe4!? is also winning, according to the engines, but I did not want to deal with opposite-coloured bishops.
27...Nxc3 28.Kb2 Nd5 29.Be5+ Kg6 30.Rh3 Re8 31.Rg3+ Kf7 32.f4 Nf6?
Stiffer resistance is afforded by 32...Rg8.
33.Rg5 Ne4 34.Rg7+ Ke6 35.g4 Nc5 36.Bxf5+ 1-0
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