Réti
1.Nf3 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.b3 c5 5.Bb2 Nc6
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| How should White meet Black's threat of pushing the d5 pawn? |
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6.cxd5
Many other moves have been tried by grandmasters, but the text is easily the commonest in ChessBase's 2023 Mega database.
6...exd5 7.d4
José Capablanca played 7.Bb5 in a 1940 simul, and that is the main move in Mega23.7...cxd4 8.Nxd4 Bb4+
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| Black has an isolated queen's pawn but White is a little vulnerable to speedy black pressure |
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9.Nc3?!
Almost certainly better is 9.Bc3, when the main line in Mega23 runs 9...Qa5 10.Qd2 Bxc3 11.Nxc3 0-0 12.Be2 with maybe a tiny edge for White, according to Stockfish15.1 and Komodo14.1.
9...Ne4 10.Rc1 Qa5
This is good, but even better may be an apparent-novelty suggested by the engines, ie 10...Qf6!?
11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Qd4?!
The engines give 12.a3!? Bxc3 13.Bxc3 Nxc3 14.Qd2 Qxa3 15.Qxc3 0-0, although White cannot immediately restore material equality as 16.Qxc6 runs into 16...Bg4, when the threat of 17...R(either)c8 cannot be successfully met.
12...0-0 13.f3 c5!? 14.Qd3 Qxa2 15.Qc2
Not 15.Qxd5 as 15...Qxb2 is devastating thanks to the threat of further capturing on c1, and 16.Qxa8? is met by 16...Qd2#.
15...Nxc3 16.Bxc3 Qxc2 17.Rxc2 Bf5 18.Rc1 Rfe8 19.Kf2 Re7?!
Pressure down the e file is easily met, so Black should concentrate on playing on the queenside, eg 19...a5.
20.Bxb4 cxb4 21.Rc5 Be6 22.Ba6 d4!?
The engines are OK with this but marginally prefer 22...Rb8 or 22...g6.
23.exd4 Rd8 24.Rd1 Red7 25.Ke3 Kf8
The engines prefer 25...Re7 or 25...Re8.
26.Bc8
WC-P offered a draw in my time (just).
26...Rd5 27.Bxe6??
The game is equal after 27.Rxd5.
27...Rxc5 28.Bc4 Rc7?
Much stronger is grabbing the a file with 28...Ra5.
29.Ra1 Ke7 30.Ra5 Rd6 31.Rf5 f6 32.Ra5 Kd8 33.Kd3 Rcd7 34.d5 Kc8 35.Kd4 Rc7 36.Ra1 Rdd7 37.Ra4 a5!? 38.Rxa5 Ra7 39.Rb5 Rdb7 40.Rc5+ Rc7 41.Rb5 Ra2
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| How would you assess this position? |
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Black is up the exchange for a pawn and has powerful play against the white kingside, but the b4 pawn cannot be saved, which means White will have two queenside passers. The engines reckon the position is completely equal. However grandmaster Daniel King said later he thought the position is much easier for White to play.
42.Bd3 Rxg2 43.d6
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| What should Black play? |
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43...Rd7
Not 43...Rb7? as 44.Bf5+ forces 44...Rd7, which is significantly worse for Black than the game continuation, eg 45.Kc5 rd2 46.Bxd7+ Kxd7 47.Rb7+ Kc8 48.Rxg7, when Black is winning, according to the engines.
44.Bf5 Rxh2 45.Bxd7+ Kxd7 46.Rb7+ Kxd6 47.Rxg7 Rh4+ 48.Ke3
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| Black is a pawn up but cannot make progress |
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48...h5 49.Rb7 Ke6 50.Rb5 Kf7 51.Rb7+ Kg6 52.Rb6 Kg5 53.Rb5+ f5 54.Rb8 Rh2 55.Rg8+ Kf6 56.Rb8 h4 57.Kf4 Rb2 58.Rb6+ Kg7 59.Rxb4 h3 60.Kg3 h2 61.Rh4 Kg6 62.Rxh2 f4+ 63.Kh3 Rxb3 64.Kg4 Rb4 65.Rc2 Kf6
I offered a draw.
66.Rc6+ Ke5 67.Rc8 Kf6 68.Rc6+
The pawn-ending after 68.Rf8+ Ke5 69.Rf5+ Ke6 70.Rxf4 Rxf4+ 71.Kxf4 Kf6 is drawn.
68...Ke5 ½–½
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