King's Gambit
1.e4 e5 2.f4 Bc5 3.Nf3 d5!?
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| How should White continue? |
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4.exd5!?
This is more popular in ChessBase's 2023 Mega database than the oft-given 'refutation' 4.Nxe5. The latter scores 51% in Mega23, compared to 64% for the text.
4...e4 5.Qe2!?
The mainline in Mega23 runs 5.Ne5 Nf6 with at least an equal game for Black, according to Stockfish15.1 and Komodo14.1, although clearly there is a lot of play for both sides.
5...Nf6
I first faced the position after 5.Qe2!? in a simul given by grandmaster James Plaskett at Hastings 1989-90, losing a complicated 59-move game in which fortunes fluctuated. Analysing it I came to believe the text is better.
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| What would you play? |
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6.d4?
6.d4?
Best, according to the engines, is 6.d3, when they reckon 6...Qxd5 7.Nc3 Bb4 8.dxe4!? Qxe4 9.Bd2 Qxe2+ 10.Bxe2 is slightly better for White. If, as in the game, Black plays 6...0-0, then 7.dxe4 is good as after 7...Nxe4 8.Qxe4 Re8 9.Ne5 f6 Black gets the piece back but is two pawns down.
6...0-0!?
The may be a novelty. Known is 6...Bb4+, but the text is stronger.
7.Ne5
Maybe slightly better is 7.dxc5. After 7...exf3 8.Qxf3 Bg4 9.Qd3 Re8+ 10.Kf2 White is two pawns up, but the engines reckon Black has more than enough compensation.
7...Bxd4 8.c4!?
This is Komodo14.1's top choice; Stockfish15.1 prefers 8.Nc3.
8...Re8
The engines prefer 8...Nbd7, when Black threatens to win a pawn without giving up the bishop-pair, and if 9.Be3 then 9...Nxe5, the idea being 10.Bxd4 Nd3+ is good for Black.
9.Be3 Bxe5 10.fxe5 Bg4
Stockfish15.1 fluctuates between this, 10...Rxe5 and 10...Nfd7!?, while Komodo14.1 only likes the latter two.
11.Qd2 Rxe5 12.h3 Bh5
This is best, according to the engines, but it gives White the promising plan of castling long and gaining another tempo on the bishop with g4.
13.Nc3 Nbd7 14.g4 Bg6 15.0-0-0
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| Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position? |
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Black is a pawn up, but White has the bishop-pair, and positions with opposite-side castling are almost always hard to judge. Komodo14.1 reckons the game is completely equal, but Stockfish15.1 gives Black a slight edge.
15...a6!?
This is Komodo14.1's second choice, but both engines prefer 15...Re8.
16.Be2 Nb6?
I pulled out of my intended 16...b5 17.cxb5 axb5 after realising White has 18.Bxb5. However Black would have opened lines in front of the white king, and that is better than the text.
17.Rdg1 Qd7 18.h4 h5 19.g5?
Grandmaster Spyridon Skembris pointed out the strength of 19.Qd4. He also said it did not make sense to have rooks on the h and g files, and then keep those files closed.
19...Ne8 20.b3?!
White is still better after 20.Qd4 or 20.Qd1, according to Komodo14.1, although Stockfish15.1 calls the game equal.
20...a5?!
This may be too slow. The engines recommend 20...Qe7.
21.a4?!
Another move that violates the rule of not moving pawns in front of a castled king.
21...Qe7 22.Kb2
The engines reckon this is better than 22.Kc2?!, when they give 22...Nd7!? as good, but the position remains unclear.
22...Qb4
The engines again prefer 22...Nd7.
23.c5?
BT said in the postmortem he thought he was trapping my queen, but he missed my reply.
23...Nxd5
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| Can you find a white resource that keeps White's disadvantage to a minimum? |
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24.Nxd5
Not 24.Bd4? e3, but 24.Qxd5! Rxd5?? 25.Nxd5 wins for White as the black queen really is trapped. Instead Black should play 24...Qxc3+ 25.Kxc3 Rxd5, after which White, as in the game, is two pawns down, but has a more-active king and dark-square bishop. According to Stockfish15.1 that leaves Black only slightly better, although Komodo14.1 gives Black the upper hand.
24...Qxd2+ 25.Bxd2 Rxd5 26.Be3
This is the same position as in the previous note after 24.Qxd5! Qxc3+, except the white king is on b2 instead of c3, and it is Black rather than White to move.
26...c6 27.Rd1 Rad8 28.Rxd5 Rxd5
The engines are unsure for some time but eventually come to view this as slightly better than 28...cxd5.
29.Bc4 Rd7 30.Kc2 Kf8 31.Rd1 Ke7 32.Bd4 f6 33.Bc3?!
This lets Black get rid of the bishop-pair.
33...Rxd1 34.Kxd1 fxg5 35.hxg5 Bf7 36.Bxf7 Kxf7 37.Bxa5 g6
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| White has reduced the deficit to one pawn, but unless White can pull off some trick on the queenside the position is hopeless |
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38.b4 Ke6 39.b5 cxb5 40.axb5 Kd5 41.Bb4
Or 41.c6 bxc6 42.b6 Nd6, while 41.Bb6 is simply met by 41...h4 etc.
41...Nc7 42.c6 b6 (0-1, 53 moves).
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