Spanton (1910) - Jason Robinson (1990)
Jobava-Prié
1.Nc3 d5 2.d4 Bf5!?
This Liberated Bishop-approach to White's d4/Nc3 setup has been tried by Magnus Carlsen, and scores 52% in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database.
3.Bf4
The mainline in Mega24 runs 3.f3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.Nxd5!? Nxd5 6.e4 h6!? 7.Bh4 Ne3?! (Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 strongly dislike this, preferring, among other moves, 7...N7f6!?) 8.Qd3 Nxf1 9.exf5 Nxh2 10.Rxh2, after which material is level but White's large lead in development gives the upper hand, according to the engines.
3...c6 4.e3 Nf6 5.Bd3 Bxd3
This is most popular in Mega24, but the engines prefer 5...e6!?
6.cxd3!? e6 7.Nf3 Qb6 8.Qe2 Nbd7 9.h3
Not so much to control the g4 square as to give White's bishop a bolthole at h2.
9...Be7 10.0-0 0-0
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| Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position? |
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White has an extra pawn on the two central files, and the more-active minors, but the white pawn-structure is less flexible, and Black's queen exerts pressure. The engines reckon White has an edge.
11.e4 dxe4
This may be a novelty. Roven Vogel (2463) - Nikita Matinian (2435), Chess.com Blitz 2022, saw 11...Qa6!? 12.Qd2!? Rfd8!? 13.Bg5?! dxe4 14.dxe4 c5 with equality, according to the engines (but 0-1, 38 moves).
12.dxe4 Rfe8 13.Rfe1 Rac8 14.Rad1 Nf8 15.Bh2 Ng6 16.Ng5!?
Hoping to provoke a weakness.
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| How should Black respond? |
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16...Qa5!?
This active defence is Komodo14.1's top choice, at least for a while (it later prefers 16...c5); Stockfish16 suggests 16...Red8. The 'obvious' 16...h6 is also fine, according to Stockfish16, but Komodo14.1 reckons it gives White a slight edge.
17.e5!?
White gains space and the e4 square, but Black gets the d5 square, and White's bishop becomes bad.
17...Nd5 18.Nce4
The engines prefer 18.Nge4.
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| What should Black play? |
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18...Bxg5!?
This becomes Komodo14.1's top choice, at least for a while, and is Stockfish16's second choice. But both engines reckon Black can grab a pawn, one line running 18...Qxa2!? 19.Nc5!? (threatening to trap the black queen) 19...Bxc5 20.dxc5 Qb3 21.Ne4 Ra8 22.Nd6 Rf8, when Komodo14.1 gives White full compensation for a pawn, but Stockfish16 has Black slightly better.
19.Nxg5 Rf8?
Trying to be solid, but this is a mistake. Again the engines reckon Black can grab the a2 pawn.
20.Qh5 h6 21.Nxe6!
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| Black to play and limit the damage |
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21...Rfe8?
The lesser evil is 21...fxe6 22.Qxg6 Rce8. Also probably better is the engines' sharp 21...Nf6!?, eg 22.Qf5 Ne7 23.Qc2 fxe6 24.exf6 Rxf6.
22.Nc5 b6?!
Almost certainly better is 22...Qxa2.
23.Nb7 Qxa2 24.Nd6 Qxb2 25.Nxc8
Even stronger may be 25.Qf5!?
25...Rxc8 26.e6 Nf6 27.Qf5!? Kh7 28.exf7 Rf8 29.Re7 Qb3 30.Rde1 Rxf7 31.Rxf7 Qxf7 32.Re6 Kh8
32...Kg8 may be a little better, but is still losing.
33.Rxc6 Ne7 34.Rc7 Nxf5!?
Getting the queens off safeguards Black's king, but the ending is pretty much hopeless, so perhaps 34...Qa2 gives better practical chances.
35.Rxf7 Nxd4 36.Rxa7 Nd5 37.Be5 Nc6?!
Black is lost anyway, but this does not help.
38.Bxg7+ Kg8 39.Rd7 Nde7 40.Bxh6 Kf7 41.Bg5 Ke6 42.Rxe7+ Nxe7 43.Bxe7 Kxe7
The game finished:
44.Kf1 Kd6 45.Ke1 Kc5 46.Kd2 Kb4 47.Kc2 Ka3 48.Kb1 1-0
MY BATTERSEA SEASON 2023-4
DATE.....EVENT...........................COL..RATING..OPP'S RATING..SCORE..SEASON PERF
24/10/23 London League B 1870 2102 = 2102
26/10/23 Central London League W 1870 2118 = 2110
21/11/23 Eastman Cup W 1882 2118 = 2113
14/12/23 Central London League B 1882 2152 0 2023
10/1/24 London League B 1884 2130 0 1964
11/1/24 Central London League B 1884 2278 1 2083
25/1/24 Central London League W 1884 2205 = 2100
30/1/24 Club Championship B 1884 1809 1 2114
1/2/24 Central London League W 1916 2072 0 2065
7/2/24 London League B 1916 2298 0 2048
8/2/24 Central London League B 1916 1960 0 2004
15/2/24 Central London League B 1916 1951 = 1999
29/2/24 Central London League B 1916 2014 0 1970
5/3/24 Club Championship W 1910 1990 1 2000
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