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| Fresh overnight snow |
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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| This Berlin-Wall tabiya occurs 7,386 times in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database |
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9.Nc3 Ke8
This is easily the most-popular continuation.
10.h3 Be7 11.Bg5 Bxg5 12.Nxg5
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| How should Black proceed? |
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12...Nd4!?
This looks promising at first, but White has a strong reply. Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 recommend 12...h6, and if 13.Nf3 then 13...h5!?
13.Rad1! Ne6
Not 13...Nxc2 14.a3!
14.Nxe6 Bxe6 15.f4!?
This may be a novelty. The engines prefer it over the known move 15.Ne4.
15...Rd8
The engines find it hard to decide whether the text or 15...g6 is better, but bad is 15...h5? 16.f5 Bc4 17.Rf4 Ba6 18.Rfd4.
16.Rxd8+ Kxd8 17.g4 h5 18.f5
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| Where should the bishop go? |
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18....Bc8
The engines reckon 18...Bd5! equalises as 19.Rd1 Ke7 20.Nxd5 cxd5 21.Rxd5 can be met by 21...hxg4 22.hxg4 Rh4 23.Rd4 g6.
19.Kg2
The engines reckon 19.Kf2!? is stronger, although I have not been able to work out why. After both moves the king usually ends up on g3, which it can reach just as easily from g2 as from f2. In practical play, 19.Kf2!? has the advantage that it sets a positional trap, viz 19...hxg4 20.hxg4 Rh2+?! 21.Kg3 Rxc2?!, after which 22.Rh1 is very strong, eg 22...Ke7 23.Rh7 Rxb2 24.Rxg7 Bd7 25.Ne4 Rb5 26.Ng5 Rxe5 (26...Be8?! 27.f6+) 27.Kf4 Re2 28.Rxf7+ Ke8 29.Rh7. Black is a pawn up, but White has much the more dangerous play, one line running 29...Rxa2 (not 29...Re7?? 30.Rh8#) 30.Ke5 Re2+ 31.Kf6 Kd8 32.Nf7+ Kc8 33.Rh8+ Re8 34.Rxe8+ Bxe8 35.g5 etc.
19...Re8 20.Re1
The engines reckon White gets an advantage with a line that involves sacrificing three pawns: 20.Rd1+ Bd7 21.e6!? fxe6 22.f6!? gxf6 23.Ne4 hxg4 (not 23...Rf8? 24.Nc5) 24.h4! Their main continuation runs 24...f5 25.Nc5 b6!? (25...Re7?! 26.h5 Rh7 27.Rxd7+ Rxd7 28.Nxd7 Kxd7 29.h6 etc) 26.Nxd7 Ke7 27.Kg3 Rd8 28.h5!
20...g6?!
Black is equal after 20...hxg4 21.hxg4 g6 22.fxg6 fxg6, according to the engines.
21.fxg6
Apparently winning is the pawn sacrifice 21.e6!?, eg 21...fxe6 22.fxg6 hxg4 23.h4. The engines reckon a better defence is 21...gxf5, but agree 22.exf7 Rf8 (forced) 23.gxh5!? Rxf7 gives White the upper hand after 24.Ne2.
21...hxg4?
Better is 21...fxg6 with what the engines reckon is an equal position.
22.gxf7 gxh3+ 23.Kh2 Rf8 24.e6 Ke7 25.Ne4!
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| There is no defence |
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25...Kxe6
The bishop is lost after 25...Bxe6.
26.Ng5+ Kf6?!
Slightly better is 26...Kd7, but after 27.Kxh3 the f pawn is too strong.
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| White to play and win |
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27.Re8?
The simple fork 27.Nh7+ wins, eg 27...Kxf7 28.Rf1+, or 27...Kg7 28.Nxf8 Kxf7 (28...Kxf8 29.Re8+) 29.Nh7 Kg6 30.Re7.
27...Kg7 28.Re7 Kf6 29.Re8
JŽ offered a draw in my time (just).29...Kg7 30.Re7 Kf6 ½–½
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