Spanton (1858) - Stanislav Štola (1477)
1.Nc3
1.Nc3 d5 2.e4!?
This keeps the game in independent 1.Nc3 lines, and is easily the main move in ChessBase's 2023 Mega database. However the position could also via a Scandinavian: 1.e4 d5, and there are not many players who in such circumstances would continue 2.Nc3!?, although their number has included Emanuel Laker, Hikaru Nakamura and Veselin Topalov.
2...d4 3.Nce2 e5 4.Ng3
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| White has spent two tempi moving the queen's knight from a normal square, ie c3, to the less-central g3 |
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Black has used the free tempi to occupy the centre, so perhaps it is not surprising Stockfish16 gives Black, who has yet to make four moves, a slight edge. However Komodo14.1 reckons the position is equal. I had not prepared 2.e4!? - it was a spur-of-the-moment decision at the board. Perhaps the best thing the move has going for it is its surprise value (I presume 2.e4!? was as much of a surprise to my opponent as it was to me), and the fact it probably puts both players more-or-less on their own resources from an early stage.
4...g6!?
This has been played by grandmasters - Russian GM Vyacheslav Ikonnikov won with it twice in 2015 alone - but it looks a little strange, even though it does restrict the options of the white queen's knight.
5.Bc4 Qf6!?
Even this is a known move, but again looks strange.
6.d3 Be6 7.Bb3 Nd7 8.Nf3 Bh6?!
The engines prefer 8...Bxb3!? or 8...h6.
9.Bxh6 Nxh6 10.Qd2 Qf4?
Black should have played the undeveloping 10...Ng8; even 10...Qg7?! 11.Bxe6 fxe6 is better than the text.
11.Qxf4 exf4 12.Ne2 Bxb3 13.axb3 c5
Black could not really let the d pawn go, but now White gets the d5 square.
14.Nxf4 0-0
If 14...Nf6, then 15.b4 is strong.
15.Nd5 a6 16.0-0 Rfe8?? 17.Nc7 1-0
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