Spanton (1902) - Olaf Hilbig (2035)
Modern/Pirc
1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 c6!?
There are 18,761 examples of this move in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database, although it appears to only go back to 1953. Among those who have played it are three world champions: Magnus Carlsen, Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik.
4.Nf3 d6 5.Be2 Nf6 6.h3!? 0-0 7.0-0
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| With both sides castling early, how would you assess the position? |
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White's space advantage gives a slight edge, according to Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1.
7...b5!?
This scores an excellent 55% in Mega24, ahead of the more popular 7...Qc7 (52%) and 7...Nbd7 (53%).
8.a3
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| Polish grandmaster Michał Krasenkow specialises in this position as black |
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The first three times Krasenkow had the position in Mega24, he played the most popular move, 8...a6, but in 2016 he chose 8...Nbd7, and four years ago he switched to ...
8...Bb7!?
... after which the commonest reply in the database, 9.Be3, scores 34%, while my choice scores a not-much-better 37%.
9.Re1 a5 10.e5 dxe5 11.dxe5!?
This may be a novelty. The known move in Mega24 is 11.Nxe5, but the position has only been reached once.
11...Qxd1
The only reasonable continuation, according to the engines.
12.Rxd1 Nfd7
The engines reckon White has a positionally won game after 12...Ne8?! 13.Bg5 f6 14.exf6.
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| How should White proceed? |
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13.e6!
13.e6!
A common positional pawn sacrifice in this type of position, although the engines also like 13.Bf4.
13...fxe6 14.Ng5 Nc5 15.Be3 Nba6
Not 15...Nbd7? 16.Bg4 (almost certainly better than 16.Nxe6?! Nxe6 17.Rxd7 Bc8 18.Rxe7 Bf6 19.Ra7 Rxa7 20.Bxa7, when White is a little uncoordinated).
16.Bg4 Rfd8?!
Giving back the pawn, but probably better is being stubborn about the material with 16...Bc8, and if 17.Bf3 then the engines give 17...Rb8!? 18.Bxc6 b4 19.axb4 Nxb4 20.Rxa5 Ncd3!? 21.Be8!? Rxe8 22.cxd3, albeit reckoning White is at least slightly better.
17.Nxe6 Nxe6 18.Bxe6+ Kf8 19.Bb6!?
Superficially attractive as the bishop hits both d8 and a5, but Black has a good reply, which is why the engines suggest 19.Bd7!? or 19.Bg4.
19...Rd6 20.Bg4 a4 21.Bf3 Bxc3!?
It is often difficult deciding which is more valuable - the bishop-pair or the better pawn-structure. Here this exchange probably favours White as Black is giving up his good bishop.
22.bxc3 Rb8 23.Be3
The engines like 23.Ba7!?, and if 23...Ra8 then 24.Be3.
23...Rbd8
Better, according to the engines, is 23...Rxd1+ 24.Rxd1 c5 25.Be2 Bc6.
24.Rd4 e5?
This natural-looking move is a mistake, although the engines reckon 24...Rxd4 leaves White with at least a slight edge.
25.Rxd6
Possibly even stronger is 25.Rh4!?
25...Rxd6 26.Re1!?
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| The e pawn cannot be saved |
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26...Kf7
This is best, according to the engines, as 26...Re6 can be met by 27.Bf4 or 27.Bd4 (and even stronger might be 27.c4!?).
27.Bg5
Again 27.c4!? looks even better.
27...Re6?
A futile attempt to save the pawn, after which Black is in big trouble. Relatively best seems to be the engines' 27...Nc7, giving up the e pawn, but getting the knight into play.
28.Bg4 Re8 29.Bd7 Rb8 30.Rxe5 Ba8
There is no good defence.
31.Re7+ Kf8
Black is mated after 31...Kg8? 32.Be6+ Kf8 33.Rf7+ Ke8 34.Rg7.
32.Rxh7 Kg8 33.Re7 Nc5 34.Re8+ Rxe8 35.Bxe8 Ne4 36.Be3 Nxc3 37.Bxg6 b4!?
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| White is two pawns up in a minor-piece ending, but it is still possible to go wrong |
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38.Bc5?!
Not 38.Bd4?? Ne2+ etc, but more clearcut are 38.Bd2 and 38.Bd3 bxa3 39.Bc4+.
38...bxa3?!
Black sets more problems with 38...b3 39.cxb3 axb3, when the engines agree White is winning, but disagree as to how to go about it. Perhaps best is my planned 40.Bb4, although 40...Na4 leaves some play in the position, eg 41.Kf1? can be met by 41...c5. One engine suggestion runs 41.Bd3 b2 42.Bb1 c5 43.Ba5 c4 44.f3 Bd5 45.Kf2, which looks winning for White, but the line is tricky and there are alternatives along the way.
39.Bxa3 Nb1 40.Bc5 a3 41.Bd3 Kg7
The engines reckon it does not matter where the king goes.
42.Bc4 Bb7 43.Ba2 Nd2
Not 43...Nc3? 44.Bd4+ etc.
44.Bxa3 Kf6 45.f3 Ba6 46.Kf2 Ke5 47.Bb2+ Kd6 48.h4 Bc4!?
Even the opposite-coloured bishops ending is easily won, but inviting this exchange is, on the face of it, bizarre, but perhaps the idea is to hope for a devastating knight fork, or perhaps a stalemate, on a simplified board.
The game finished:
49.Bxc4 Nxc4 50.Bg7 Ke6 51.h5 Kf7 52.h6 Kg6 53.Ke2 Nd6 54.g4 Nf7 55.f4 Nd6 56.Kd3 1-0
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