Central London League

PLAYED for Battersea on board three (of five) against HMC 2 in division one last night.

Spanton (1870) - Mei-Xian Eunice Hng (2003*)

Maróczy Bind

1.e4 d6 2.c4!? Nf6 3.Nc3 c5 4.Nge2 Nc6 5.d4 cxd4 6.Nxd4 Bd7 67Be2 g6 8.Be3 Bg7

This position, which occurs 1,759 times in ChessBase's 2023 Mega database, normally arises from a Sicilian Accelerated Dragon move-order

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9.0-0 0-0

We have now reached a position occurring 13,456 times in Mega23.

10.Rc1

This is a popular alternative to the mainline, which runs 10.Qd2 Nxd4 11.Bxd4 Bc6 12.f3 with a slight edge for White, according to Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1.

10...Rc8 11.Qd2 Re8 12.b3 a6 13.h3 Qa5

Now both players have connected their rooks, how would you assess the position?

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White's extra space gives at least a slight edge, according to the engines. However White has to deal with Black's immediate tactical threat of 14...Nxe4!, winning a pawn, eg 15.Nxe4 Qxd2 etc or, more complicatedly, 15.Nxc6 Qxc3! 16.Qd1! Qb2 17.Rc2 Nc3! 18.Qd3 Nxe2+ 19.Rxe2 Qc3 20.Qxc3 Bxc3.

14.Rfd1 Nxd4 15.Bxd4 b5

How should White meet this challenge to the Bind?

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16.Bxf6!?

Seeking to take advantage of the unprotected status of the black queen. Wolfgang Glaser (2120) - Aleksandar Vučković (2280), German Team League 1996, went 16.f3 bxc4 17.bxc4?! Be6 with a slight edge for Black, according to the engines (0-1, 41 moves). The text is probably a novelty.

16...Bxf6 17.Nd5 Qxd2 18.Nxf6+ exf6 19.Rxd2 Rxe4 20.Bf3 Re6 21.c5!?

As my opponent pointed out afterwards, 21.Bb7 Rc7 22.Bxa6?! loses the bishop to 22...d5!? 23.Bxb5 Bxb5. True, White gets three connected passed pawns after 24.Rxd5, but the engines reckon Black is much better.

21...Be8!?

Possibly better is 21...Rc7 22.c6 Kf8, when White has full compensation for a pawn, but no more, according to the engines.

22.c6 Rc7 23.b4 Kf8 24.Rd3?!

Hoping to go after the a6 pawn, but this is almost certainly too slow. The engines give 24.Bd5 Re5 25.f4 Re3 26.Bf3 Re6 27.Rdc2, claiming White may have a tiny edge.

24...d5! 25.Rxd5?!

Probably better is 25.Bxd5, eg 25...Rd6 26.Be4 Rxd3 27.Bxd3 Rxc6 28.Rxc6 Bxc6 with a completely equal position, according to the engines.

25...Rexc6 26.Rcd1 Rc1 27.Kf1 Rxd1+ 28.Rxd1 Rc4 29.Rd6 Rxv4 30.Rxa6 Rb2 31.Ra7 f5 32.Bd5 Rd2 33.Bb3 h5 34.Rb7 ½–½

Black is at least slightly better in the final position, according to the engines, but was well behind on the clock

HMC won the match 3-2.

*Fide rating - no ECF