Norbert Sprotte (SC Kreuzverg eV - 2162) - Spanton (England 65+ 3 - 1800)
Board Three
Réti
1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 d4 3.e3 Nc6 4.exd4 Nxd4 5.Nxd4 Qxd4 6.Nc3 Be6?!
Probably a novelty, and almost certainly not a good one. The black queen is a target, and the c7 square is weak, which is why the main move in ChessBase's 2023 Mega database is 6...c6, after which play normally runs 7.d3 Nh6!? 8.Be3 Qd8 9.d4 Nf5 with equality, according to Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1.
7.d3 Nf6
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| How should White proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
8.Nb5!?
After the obvious 8.Be3, Black has 8...Qd7, when White is certainly better, but the text may give a slightly bigger advantage.
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| How should Black respond? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
8...Qb6!?
Not 8...Qd7? 9.Bf4, but possible is 8...Qe5+, when 9.Qe2 Qxe2+ 10.Bxe2 Kd7 avoids material loss, while 9.Be2 c6 10.d4 can be met by 10...Qb8.
9.Be3
The engines fluctuate between this and 9.Bf4, but most of the time prefer the text.
9...Qa5+ 10.Qd2
I was concerned about 10.b4!?, and it seems rightly so. After 10...Qxb4+ 11.Bd2 Qc5 12.d4 Qb6 13.Bf4 Qa5+ 14.Qd2 Qxd2+ 15.Kxd2 White will get his pawn back and, according to the engines, have the upper hand.
10...Qxd2+ 11.Bxd2
The engines prefer this to 11.Kxd2.
11...Kd7 12.Bf4 c6 13.Nc7 Rc8 14.Nxe6 Kxe6
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| How would you assess this queenless middlegame? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
White has the bishop-pair, and Black has lost castling rights, but the black king is not unduly endangered. Komodo14.1 gives White the upper hand, but Stockfish16 only awards White a slight edge.
15.g3 Kd7 16.Bh3+
This check is easily met, after which the bishop does not have much of a future on the h3-c8 diagonal, so perhaps 16.Bg2 is better.
16...e6 17.0-0-0 Bd6 18.Be3 Ke7 19.Kb1
If 19.Bxa7 then 19...Ra8 and 20...Rxa2.
19...c5 20.Bg2
White still has chances of an edge after 20.Rde1!?, according to the engines.
20...b6 21.h3
Preventing the annoying ...Ng4.
21...Rhd8 22.g4
White can stop Black's next with 22.f4, but 22...Nh5 23.Bf2 g6 seems fine for Black.
22...Be5 23.f4 Bd4 24.Bc1 Rd6 25.Bf3
Played so the pawn-push g5 cannot be met by ...Nh5.
25...Rcd8 26.Rhe1 Kf8 27.f5 e5
The engines reckon the game is completely equal after 27...exf5.
28.g5 Ne8 29.Rf1 Nc7 30.Be4 b5 31.h4 Rb8 32.Rh1 Rdb6 33.Rh2 bxc4!?
This lets White get rid of the backward e pawn, but increases the pressure on White's queenside.
34.dxc4 Rb4 35.Rc2 a5 36.h5 a4 37.h6!? gxh6 38.g6!?
Raising the stakes. The engines suggest 38.Rh1!? or 38.a3!?, but reckon 38.gxh6?! Ne8 favours Black.
38...hxg6 39.fxg6
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| What should Black play? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
39...Bxb2!?
This seems to be a sound sacrifice, in the sense that it does not let White grab an advantage, but the engines reckon 39...Ne6 gives better chances of a slight edge.
40.Rxb2!?
Komodo14.1 reckons the text and 40.Bxb2 give complete equality, but Stockfish16 marginally prefers the latter, although 40.Bxb2 a3 41.Rd7 (41.Rf1 is no better, according to the engines) Rxb2+ 42.Kc1 Na6 43.Rxf7+ Kg8 (forced) seems equal, and if 44.Bd5 then 44...Nb4.
40...Rxb2+ 41.Bxb2 a3 42.Rd7 Rxb2+ 43.Kc1 fxg6!?
This and 43...Na6 are completely equal, according to the engines, but the text leads to a more imbalanced position.
44.Rxc7 Rxa2 45.Kb1 Re2 46.Bxg6 e4 47.Rxc5 Kg7 48.Bh5 Rb2+ 49.Ka1 Kf6 50.Ra5 Rc2 51.c5 Ke5 52.Kb1 Rc3
The game has been tense since the piece sacrifice at move 43, but has never veered from complete equality, according to Stockfish16, although Komodo14.1 did briefly prefer White.
53.Ra6 Rxc5 54.Rxh6 Kd4 55.Bd1 Kc3 56.Rh2 Rb5+ 57.Ka2 e3 58.Rc2+ Kd3 59.Be2+ ½–½
FULL TEAM RESULT
Klaus Lehmann (2218) 1-0 Richard Freeman (1987)
Andreas Bachmann (2189) ½ David Tucker (1898)
Norbert Sprotte (2162) ½ Tim Spanton (1800)
Michael Streiger (1934) 1-0 Robert Kane (1723)
SC Kreuzberg eV 3-1 England 65+ 3
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