Karl-Iversen Lapp (1997) - Spanton (1902)
London System
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bf4 Bd6 4.Bg3 Nf6 5.Nbd2 0-0 6.e3
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| This position, which dates back to at least 1894, occurs 2,344 times in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database |
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6...c5 7.c3 b6 8.Qc2!?
This is a rare bird. The mainline in Mega24 runs 8.Bd3 Ba6!? 9.Bxa6 Nxa6 10.Qe2 Nb8!? 11.e4 Be7!? 12.0-0, with an equal position, according to Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1.
8...Bb7
Clearly ...Ba6 is also possible here, but there is a school of thought that the move is less effective when White has not already spent a tempo developing the white light-square bishop.
9.Bd3 c4!?
As always with this move Black has to weigh the gain of space against the loss of pressure on White's centre. Here the engines are fine with it, although they very marginally prefer other moves.
10.Be2 b5 11.a3!?
This delays, but does not prevent, ...b4.
11...Nc6 12.Ne5 a5 13.Ndf3!?
The engines are not keen on this, preferring 13.0-0, or exchanging on c6 and then castling short.
13...Ne4 Nxc6 Bxc6 15.Bxd6 Qxd6 16.0-0
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| Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position? |
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Black has a bad bishop, but has more space on the queenside, and that is enough to give a slight edge, according to the engines.
16...b4 17.Ne5!?
The engines agree this is White's best move.
17...bxc3
The engines, albeit marginally, prefer 17...b3!?, which I find hard to understand as, with the queenside locked, play will switch to the kingside, where chances would seem equal.
18.bxc3 Rab8 19.Bf3 Ng5 20.Bd1!? f6 21.Nf3 Nxf3+
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| How should White recapture? |
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22.gxf3?!
Probably better is 22.Bxf3, when the engines give 22...Rb3 23.a4 Rfb8, albeit awarding Black the upper hand.
22...Rb6!?
Several other moves are also strong.
23.Qc1
The engines at first fluctuate between this and 23.Qd2, with Komodo14.1 coming to prefer the text, while Stockfish16 switches to 23.a4. One problem with the move played, at least psychologically, is that it loses a tempo on the line 22...Rb3 23.Qc1 Rb6.
23...Rfb8 24.Bc2 Qd7 25.Rb1 Ba4 26.Rxb6 Rxb6 27.Qd2!?
The engines suggest exchanging bishops, followed by seeking immediate counterplay with 28.e4.
27...Bxc2 28.Qxc2 Qb5 29.e4 Qb3?!
Probably better is 29...Qb2 30.Qa4 Rb5.
30.Qc1 Qb2 31.Qf4 Qxa3 32.exd5 exd5 33.Re1?!
Both 33.Qf5 and 33.Qc7 more-or-less equalise, according to the engines.
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| How should Black proceed? |
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33...Qxc3?!
33...Qxc3?!
Black has a large advantage after 33...Qd6. I rejected it because of 34.Qxd6 Rxd6 35.Re8+ Kf7 39.Ra8, but the engines reckon 39...Rb6 40.Rxa5 Ke6 wins.
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| White to play and draw |
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34.Re7
The engines show that 34.Re8+ Kf7 35.Re3! draws, but the value of advancing the rook and then retreating it is not an easy concept to see over the board. Note that the immediate 34.Re3 loses to 34...Qc1+ 35.Kg2 Qb1. This latter manoeuvre does not work in the first line, ie 34.Re8+ Kf7 35.Re3! Qc1+ 36.Kg2 Qb1?? as White wins with 37.Qc7+ Kg6 38.Re7 etc.
34...Rb1+ 35.Kg2 Qd3?
Only 35...Qc1 wins.
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| White to play and draw |
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36.Qd6?
Both 36.Rxg7+! Kxg7 37.Qc7+ etc and 36.Re8+ Kf7 37.Qc7+! (or 37.Re7+!) etc draw.
36...Qg6+ 37.Kh3 Qf5+ 38.Kg2 h5 39.Qd8+ Kh7 40.Re8 Kh6
But not 40...Rb3?? 41.Rh8+ Kg6 42.Qe8+ Kg5 43.Qh5+ Kf4 44.Qh4+ Qg4+ 45.Qxg4#.
41.h4 Qg6+ 0-1
It was perhaps worth playing on as Black could still go wrong, eg 42.Kh2 Qg1+ 43.Kh3 Qh1+ 44.Kg3 Rg1+ 45.Kf4 g5+? 46.hxg5+ fxg5+ 47.Ke5 is a draw, and then only if Black continues 47...Re1+ 48.Kd6 Rxe8, after which White has 49.Qf6+ with a draw by repetition.
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