Pleasing Finish To Mallorca

Spanton (1864) - Barry Foran (1592)

Calvià U2350

Caro-Kann Panov-Botvinnik Attack

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6

This is the main move in ChessBase's 2023 Mega database, although also very popular is 5...Nc6.

6.Nf3 Be7

Again this is the main move in Mega23, but the more-active 6...Bb4 is also often seen, the chief continuation being 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Bd2 Nc6 9.Bd3 0-0!? 10.0-0 (not 10.Bxh7+?? Kxh7 11.Ng5+ Kg8 12.Qh5 Nf6) Be7!? 11.a3!? with a slight edge for White, according to Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1.

7.c5!?

Anatoly Karpov & Mikhail Podgaets, in Caro-Kann Defence: Panv Attack (Batsford 2006), wrote of this move: "Never very popular, and now a virtually forgotten continuation. The plans of the two sides are clear. White intends to construct a pawn-chain b4-c5-d4 and on the basis of this carry out an advance on the queen's flank, while Black will set about undermining this pawn-chain (...a5 and ...b6) and also undertake counterplay in the centre: ...Ne4 and ...f5."

7...0-0 8.Bf4

Karpov & Podgaets: "Containing more ideas than 8.Bg5, but also not without its downsides. The bishop, standing on f4, can come under the tempo-gaining attack ...g5."

8...b6 9.b4 a5

Karpov & Podgaets: "A higher ranking move than 9...bxc5."

10.a3

How should Black proceed?

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10... bxc5?!

Karpov & Podgaets mention 10...Ne4, but concentrate on what is the mainline in Mega23, namely 10...axb4 11.axb4 Rxa1 12.Qxa1 Nc6 13.Qa4 bxc5!? They reckon White can accept the piece sacrifice as "the variations show the risk is hardly excessive," but they also state that 14.bxc5 is a quiet way to get an "approximately equal game." The engines agree with these assessments.

The problem with the text is White is better placed to use the opened b file.

11.bxc5 Bd7 12.Rb1 Ne4 13.Nxe4 dxe4 14.Ne5 Nc6 15.Rb6 Nxe5 16.Bxe5

What should Black play?

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16...f5?

This protects the loose e pawn but fatally weakens Black's other e pawn. The engines recommend 16...Bf6 or 16...Qc8, but give White the upper hand.

17.Bc4 Qc8 18.Qb3 Qxc5?

Not 18...Kf7? 19.d5, so Black should probably shuffle the king into the corner and accept White can go a pawn up.

The game finished:

19.dxc5 Qxc5 20.Bd6 Qd4 21.Bxf8 Kxf8 22.0-0 1-0