Maurizio Diotallevi (1982) - Spanton (1886)
QGD Exchange
1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 e6 3.c4 Nf6 4.cxd5!?
An unusual point at which to enter the Exchange Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined. More-popular moves include 4.g3 and especially 4.Nc3. Nevertheless the list of names of players who have tried the text reads like a modern who's who of super grandmasters: Carlsen, Caruana, Kramnik, Arkell ...
4...exd5 5.Nc3 c6 6.Qc2 g6!?
The point of this move is to punish White for having spent a tempo on developing the king's knight before the king's bishop (in line with advice given to novices about developing knights before bishops!). If White had played e3 instead of Nf3, the text could be met by Bd3, preventing ....Bf5, the latter generally being regarded as an equaliser in Exchange lines of the QGD.
7.Bg5 Bf5?!
But this may be premature. More usual is 7...Be7 or 7...Bg7, with ...Bf5 to come. But note that 7...h6? runs into 8.Bxf6 Qxf6 9.Nxd5!
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| How should White respond? |
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8.Qc1?!
This seems a novelty, and almost certainly not a good one. The obvious 8.Qb3 causes Black a major headache as 8...b6 can be met by 9.e4! dxe4 10.Ne5 Qe7 (10...Be6 11.Bc4) 11.Bb5!, when Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 reckon Black has nothing better than 11...cxb5, but then comes 12.Nd5. The line 9...Bxe4 10.Nxe4 dxe4 does not appear in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database, but again the continuation Ne5 is very strong. Black could try 8...Nbd7, when 9.Qxb7 Rb8 gives Black promising counterplay, but the engines point out that 9.e4!, although it also does not appear in Mega24, is once more strong.
8...h6 9.Bf4 Nbd7 10.e3
The engines suggest 10.h3, presumably to preserve White's dark-square bishop, but they reckon 10...Ne4 leaves Black slightly better.
10...Nh5 11.Bg3 Nxg3 12.hxg3 Bg7
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| Half-opening the h file for White is often problematic if Black intends castling short, but here the Black kingside looks solid |
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13.Nh4 Bg4 14.Bd3 0-0 15.Qc2
White's pressure against g6 may appear intimidating, but it is countered easily enough.
15...Qf6 16.Na4 Rfe8 17.0-0 Rac8 18.b4
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| A Minority Attack is White's standard plan in this type of position; Black has to decide how much to defend on the queenside, and how much to counterattack on the other flank |
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18...a6?!
There was no need for this as White was not yet threatening to push the b pawn (19.b5? cxb5 leaves Black well on top), so Black should probably be getting on with kingside play.
19.Rfe1 h5 20.Nc5 Nxc5?!
This makes b7 weak. The engines suggest 20...Rc7.
21.bxc5 Bh6 22.f4?!
The engines like 22.Rab1 or 22.Be2, but disagree as to who is better (Stockfish16 marginally prefers Black; Komodo14.1 just prefers White). The text is aggressive, but weakens e3.
22...Rc7!?
Even stronger, according to the engines, is 22...Re6.
23.Nf3 Bxf3 24.gxf3 Rce7 25.Qf2!
This is the only decent move, according to the engines, as 25.Qd2 runs into 25...h4, when White does not have the defence that is available after the text.
25...h4!?
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| White to play and draw |
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26.g4?
Missing Black's threat. Drawing is 26.gxh4 Bxf4 27.exf4 Rxe1+ 28.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 29.Qxe1 Qxd4+ 30.Kg2 Qxd3 31.Qe8+ Kg7 32.Qe5+ Kh7 33.Qe7.
26...Bxf4! 27.e4
This does not help, but, unlike in the previous note, 27.exf4 Rxe1+ 28.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 29.Qxe1 Qxd4+ 30.Kg2 Qxd3 31.Qe8+ Kg7 32.Qe5+ Kh7 33.Qe7 no longer saves White as Black has 33...Qd2+ and 33...Qxf4.
27...Bg3 28.Qe2
Or 28.Qe3 dxe4 29.fxe4 Rxe4! 30.Bxe4 Rxe4! 31.Qd2 Bxe1 32.Rxe1 Rxg4+, after which Black is three pawns up and has a winning attack.
28...Bxe1 29.Rxe1 Qxd4+ 30.Qe3 Qxe3 31.Rxe3 g5
White is the exchange and two pawns down. The game finished:
32.Re2 Re5 33.Rc2 dxe4 34.fxe4 Rxe4!? 0-1
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