Spanish Berlin
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8
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| The starting tabiya of the Berlin Wall |
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9.Ng5!?
There are eight more-popular moves in ChessBase's 2023 Mega database, but the text has also been played by players rated over 2300, one point being Black is stopped from going for a setup with the king on the queenside (eg after ...Bd7, ...b6, ...Kc8 etc).
9...Ke8 10.Nbd2 Be7 11.Ndf3 h6 12.Ne4 Be6 13.b3 a5 14.a4 b6 15.Bb2 Rd8 16.Rfd1 Rd7!?
The idea is to create a route to the queenside for the black king, which might then go via b7 to c6 (after ...c5 is played).
17.h3 h5!?
Discouraging g4 but losing control of the g5 square.
18.Neg5 Bxg5 19.Nxg5 h4!?
This more-or-less fixes the the white g pawn, but leaves the black h pawn potentially weak.
20.Rxd7 Kxd7 21.Rd1+ Ke7 22.Nxe6 Kxe6
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| Who stands better after the flurry of exchanges? |
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White has the better minor piece for cooperating with a rook, but the e pawn is weak and obstructs the bishop. The knight has a strong outpost, but developing the black rook will not be simple. Neither pawn-majority is ideal for creating a passed pawn. Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 reckon the position is equal.
23.Kf1 Ne7 24.c4 c5
The engines reckon 24...Ng6 can be met by 25.Ke2!?, and if 25...Nxe5 then 26.Bxe5 Kxe5 27.Rd7 is fine for White.
25.f4!?
This defends e5 but further restricts the bishop and creates holes in the white kingside. The engines prefer 25.Ke2.
25...g6
Maybe 25...Nc6 gives a better chance of an edge, eg 26.Bc3!? (the engines reckon there is nothing better) Nd4 27.Kf2 (not 27.Bxd4? Rd8) Nxb3, but the engines still call the game equal.
26.Kf2 Nf5 27.Kf3 Rg8 28.Kf2 Ke7!?
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| How should White meet Black's plan of offering an exchange of rooks? |
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29.e6!?
A positional pawn sac to bring the bishop to life. The sacrifice appears to be sound, but the engines reckon allowing an exchange of rooks is also fine.
29...fxe6 30.Be5 Nd6 31.Rd3 g5 32.g4
One of several moves to maintain complete equality, according to the engines.
32...hxg3+ 33.Kxg3 gxf4+ 34.Kxf4 Rf8+ 35.Ke3!?
This may be OK but simpler seems to be 35.Kg4 and 35.Kg3.
35...Rf5 36.Bg3 Rh5 37.Ke2?!
This may be a mistake. The engines like h4 or Kf2, eg 37.h4!? Nf5 38.Kg3 does not lose a pawn as 38...Nxh4+?? fails to 39.Kg4. Similarly 37.Kf2 is fine as 37...Rxh4?? 38.Bxd6+ is a disaster for Black.
The text also indirectly protects the h pawn, but after ...
37...e5 38.Bf2 Nf5
... Black is making progress, and the bishop is no longer much of a threat to the black queenside pawns.
39.Kd2?!
The engines strongly dislike this, preferring 39.h4. But then 39...Nxh4!? 40.Rh3 Ng2 41.Rxh5 Nf4+ 42.Kf3 Nxh5 is winning, according to Komodo14.1, although Stockfish16 reckons Black only has a slight edge.
39...e4 40.Rd5!?
The horribly passive 40.Rc3 may objectively be slightly better, according to the engines.
40...Ke6 41.h4 c6?!
This wins a pawn but seems to throw away the full point. After 41...Rh8 Black threatens to trap the white rook with 42...c6, so White has to move the king, with 42.Ke2 for example, when the engines reckon 42...Rg8! wins, one line running 43.Rd1 Rg2 44.Kf1 Rh2 45.Kg1 Rh3 followed by ...Rxb3 or ...Nxh4.
42.Rd8 Nxh4 43.Re8+ Kf5 44.Rf8+ Kg4 45.Ke3 Nf5+ 46.Kxe4 Nd6+ 47.Kd3 Rh3+ 48.Be3 Nf5 49.Rg8+ Kf3 50.Rf8 Kg4
I offered a draw, but I do not think JB noticed.
51.Rg8+ Kf3 52.Rf8 ½–½
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