Pascoe Rapacci (1745) - Spanton (1959)
Open
Scotch
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Qf6!?
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| Not a particularly popular continuation, but there are 3,800 examples of the move in ChessBase's 2023 Mega database |
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Often the game will transpose to normal 4...Bc5 lines, eg by 5.Be3 Bc5, 5.Nxc6 Bc5 or 5.Nb5!? Bc5. However 4...Qf6!?, as well as possibly confusing White, has the independent point that 5.Nb3 will not come with tempo, as it does after 4...Bc5. On the other hand, after the text 5.Nb3 will prevent Black putting the dark-square bishop on the a7-g1 diagonal.
5.Nf3!?
This is only sixth-most popular in Mega23, but is the top choice of Stockfish15.1 and Komodo14.1, although they do fluctuate if other moves are entered and then retracted. There is no doubt the text is a major loss of time. It as if, after 4.Nxd4, White had offered to return the king's knight to f3 in exchange for giving Black two tempi (...Qf6 and a move to come). Naturally there is more to it than that - White hopes to show the black queen is misplaced and ripe for harassment by White's minor pieces and/or pawns.
5...Bb4+!? 6.c3
Not the only move by any means. Possibilities include 6.Nc3!?, the point being 6...Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 Qxc3 8.Bd2 gives White the bishop-pair and open lines for a pawn. Also reasonable is 6.Nbd2, but 6.Bd2? runs into 6...Qxb2.
6...Be7!?
This may be a novelty. Normal is 6...Bc5, after which 7.Bg5 Qg6 8.Bd3 Ne5 seems fine for Black. The mainline in Mega23 runs 7.Be2 d6 8.0-0 Nge7 9.Bg5 with what the engines reckon is at least a slight edge for White.
7.Bd3 Ne5?!
Probably better is 7...d6, but the engines reckon White has the upper hand.
8.Nxe5 Qxe5 9.Nd2
Also strong is 9.f4, and if 9...Qc5 then 10.Qe2 with Be3 to come.
9...d5 10.Nf3 Qh5
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| How should White proceed? |
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11.Nd4?!
Probably best is 11.exd5, when 11...Qxd5 12.0-0 looks promising for White. Perhaps Black should make a sacrifice of it with 11...Nf6!? 12.c4, although White is not forced to hold on to the pawn and could just develop.
11...Qxd1+ 12.Kxd1 dxe4 13.Bxe4 Nf6 14.Bf3 Bg4 15.Re1 Bxf3+ 16.Nxf3 0-0-0+ 17.Kc2 Bc5
11...Qxd1+ 12.Kxd1 dxe4 13.Bxe4 Nf6 14.Bf3 Bg4 15.Re1 Bxf3+ 16.Nxf3 0-0-0+ 17.Kc2 Bc5
Black has equalised.
18.Bg5!?
More straightforward is 18.Be3 Bxe3 19.Rxe3 Rhe8 20.Rae1 Rxe3 21.Rxe3.
18...Bxf2 19.Bxf6 gxf6 20.Re7 Rd7 21.Rxd7 Kxd7 22.Rd1+ Kc8
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| How would you assess this rook-and-minor-piece ending? |
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Normally rook and bishop make a better team than rook and knight, and Black is a pawn up. But Black's shattered kingside means the knight should have few problems finding a good post, and the engines reckon the position is completely equal.
23.Nd4!? Rd8 24.Nf5 Rxd1!? 25.Kxd1 Kd7 26.Ke2 Bc5 27.Kd3 Ke6 28.Ke4 Bf8!?
Passivity is rarely wise, and here it puts Black in danger. The engines suggest gaining queenside space with 28...a5.
29.c4
Getting white pawns off dark squares makes sense, but the engines reckon 29.Nd4!? gives White a slight edge. I intended replying 29...Kd7, but 30.Kf5 gives White two well-placed pieces while Black's position, despite the small amount of material left on the board, has a slightly cramped feel.
29...c6 30.Nd4+ Kd7 31.Kf5 Bc5 32.Nb3 Be7?!
More passivity. Better seems to be 32...Bd6, eg 33.Kxf6 Bxh2 34.Nc5+ Kc7 35.Kxf7, although the position looks easier for White to play.
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| After 32...Be7?! it is White to play and gain the upper hand, or at least a slight edge, according to the engines |
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33.Ke4?!
The king was well-placed on f5. The engines give 33.h4 b5 34.cxb5 cxb5 35.h5, one line continuing 35...a6 36.Nd2 Bc5!? 37.Kxf6 Bd4+ 38.Kxf7 Bxb2, after which the strength of the white king seems to more than compensate for Black having bishop-v-knight in a position with rival pawn-majorities.
33...Bd6 34.h3 b6
If 34...Be5 then 35.Nc5+.
35.Nd4?!
The engines reckon the game is completely equal after this, as it is after, say, 35.Nc1, but the text gives White chances to go wrong in a pawn-ending a pawn down.
35...Be5
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| White to play and draw |
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36.b3
There seem to be two drawing moves, 36.b4! and 36.g4!
After 36.b4! Bxd4 37.Kxd4 Ke6 38.c5 b5 39.Ke4 it seems Black cannot make progress, eg 39...f5+ 40.Kf4 Kf6 41.g3 h6 42.g4! fxg4 43.hxg4 Ke6 44.Ke4 with complete equality.
After 36.g4! c5 37.Nb5 a6 38.Nc3 again Black apparently cannot make progress, eg 38...Bxc3 39.bxc3 Ke6 40.Kf4.
36...Bxd4 37.Kxd4 Ke6 38.Ke4
Perhaps 38.b4 is a tad better, but 38...f5 is strong.
38...f5+ 39.Kf4 Kf6 40.b4 a6 41.a4 b5 42.axb5
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| How should Black recapture? |
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42...axb5?
White has a draw after this. Correct is 42...cxb5, eg 43.c5 Ke6 with ...Kd5 and ...a5 to come. Alternatively 43.cxb5 axb5 wins for Black in a similar way as to what happens in the game (when White misses a draw).
43.c5 h6
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| White to play and draw |
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44.h4?
Both 44.g3 and 44.g4!? draw, eg 44.g4!? fxg4 45.hxg4 Ke6 46.Ke4 f5+ (what else?) 47.gxf5 Kf6 48.Kf4 h5 49.Ke4 h4 50.Kf4 h3 51.Kg3 Kxf5 52.Kxh2 Ke4 53.Kg4 Kd4 54.Kf5 Kc4 55.Kc6 Kxb4 56.Kd6 and both sides will queen their one surviving pawn.
44...Ke6 45.Kf3
The white king will have to withdraw sooner or later, and 45.g4 fxg4 46.Kxg4 f5+ is equally hopeless.
45...Ke5 46.Ke3 f4+ 47.Kd3 h5 48.Ke2 Kf5 49.Kf3 f6 50.Kf2 Kg4 51.Ke2 Kg3 52.Kd3 Kxg2 53.Ke4 f3 54.Kf5 f2 55.Kxf6 f1=Q+ 0-1
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