European Senior Team (65+) Round Two

Peter R Wood (England 65+ 2 - 1944) - Spanton (England 65+ 3 - 1800)

Board Three

QGD Semi-Tarrasch

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 Nf6 4.Nc3 c5 5.e3!?

The main move is 5.cxd5, but Magnus Carlsen has often played the text.

5...Nc6 6.a3

Carlsen has reached the position after 5...Nc6 eight times in ChessBase's 2023 Mega database, always playing 6.cxd5!?, but the text is more common.

6...a6

There are 2,186 examples of this position in Mega23 - how should White continue?

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7.dxc5

This is by far and away the most popular continuation.

7...Bxc5 8.b4 Ba7 9.Be2!?

The mainline in Mega23 runs 9.Bb2 0-0 10.Qc2 Qe7 11.Rd1 Rd8 12.Be2 dxc4 13.Rxd8+ Nxd8 14.Bc4 b5 15.Bd3 Bb7 with equality, according to Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1.

9...0-0 10.0-0 dxc4 11.Qxd8

Robert Kempiński (2510) - Bernhard Schmidt (2275), Biel (Switzerland) 1996, went 11.Bxc4 b5 12.Bd3 Qe7 13.Bb2 Bb7 14.Ne4 Nxe4 15.Bxe4 Rac8 16.Rc1 with maybe a slight edge for White, according to the engines (Komodo14.1 is sure of it, but Stockfish16 fluctuates between equality and plus-over-equals). Kempiński went on to win in 25 moves.

11...Rxd8 12.Bxc4 b5 13.Be2!?

This may be a novelty, the known move being 13.Bb3.

How would you assess this queenless middlegame?

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The position is symmetrical, apart from the positions of the king's bishops and rooks. During the game both players thought Black, who is to move, is better, but the engines call the game completely equal.

13...e5!?

And now they reckon White is slightly better, or at least has the better side of equality.

How should White proceed?

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14.Rd1

Best, according to the engines is 14.a4!?, eg 14...Nxb4 15.axb5 e4 16.Ng5 axb5 17.Ngxe4 Nxe4 18.Nxe4, after which Black's passed pawn may be more of a weakness than a strength. The engines suggest 14...bxa4 15.Rxa4, and either 15...Bb7 or 15...h6, albeit preferring White.

14...Bf5 15.Bb2 e4 16.Ne1 Be6 17.Rxd8+ Rxd8 18.Rd1 Rxd1 19.Bxd1 Kf8?!

Almost certainly better is 19...Bf5, but best, according to the engines, is 19...Bb8!?, the idea being to meet 20.Bc2 with 20...Be5.

20.Bc2 Bf5

How does White get an advantage?

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21.g4?!

Both 21.Ne2 and 21.Nf3!? give at least a slight edge, according to the engines.

21...Bxg4

Possibly even better is 21...Nxg4!? 22.Nxe4 Nge5.

22.Nxe4 Nxe4 23.Bxe4 Bd7 24.Nd3 f5 25.Bd5 g6 26.Ne5

White gains the bishop-pair with 26.Nc5 Bxc5 27.dxc5, but would then have four pawn-islands against Black's two.

26...Nxe5 27.Bxe5 Bc8 28.Kg2 Bb6 29.Kf3 Bd8 30.Ke2 ½–½

FULL TEAM RESULT

Stephen Orton (2133) 1-0 Richard Freeman (1987)
John Quinn (2061) ½ David Tucker (1898)
Peter R Wood (1944) ½ Tim Spanton (1800)
Stephen M Williams (1793) 0-1 Robert Kane (1723)

England 65+ 2 2-2 England 65+ 3