Caro-Kann Panov-Botvinnik
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Nf3 g6!?
There are 732 examples of this move in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database, but the mainline runs 6...Bg4 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Qb3 Bxf3 9.gxf3 e6 10.Qxb7 Nxd4 11.Bb5+ Nxb5 12.Qc6+!? Ke7 13.Qxb5 Qd7 14.Nxd5+ Qxd5 15.Qxd5 exd5 16.Be3, reaching a position Stockfish16.1 and Dragon1 reckon is completely equal.
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| Position after 6...g6!? - how should White proceed? |
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7.Bg5!?
Anatoly Karpov has played this, but the most popular continuation in Mega24 is 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Qb3 Nxc3 9.Bc4!? Nd5 10.Bxd5 e6 11.Bxc6+ bxc6 12.0-0, with a slight edge for White, according to the engines.
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| How should Black respond? |
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7...Bg7!?
Commonest in Mega24 is 7...Ne4, but the engines like 7...Be6.
8.Bxf6 exf6!
More popular is 8...Bxf6, but the engines much prefer the text.
9.cxd5!?
The engines reckon 9.Nxd5 0-0 gives Black more than enough compensation for a pawn, eg 10.Be2 f5 11.0-0 Be6 12.Qb3 Na5 13.Qb4 Bxd5 14.cxd5 Qxd5.
9...Ne7 10.Bb5+ Bd7 11.d6
This occurred in all three games to reach the position in Mega24, but the engines suggest the apparent-novelty 11.Qa4!?, which RC in the postmortem said he had thought was my idea.
11...Bxb5?!
The engines reckon 11...Nf5 and 11...Nc8 give equal chances, but not 11...Nc6? 12.Qe2+ Kf8 13.d5 Ne5 14.Nxe5 fxe5 15.Bxd7 Qxd7 16.0-0 as 16...Qxd6 runs into 17.Ne4 Qd7 18.d6 f5 19.Nc5 Qxd6 20.Rac1, when White has a huge attack, eg 20...Rc8 21.Rfd1 Qe7 22.Qc4 Rc6 23.Rd7 Qe8 24.Rxb7 Rd6 25.Qb4 etc.
12.Nxb5
Not 12.dxe7? Qxe7+ 13.Kd2 Bh6+ 14.Kc2 Qc7 15.Re1+ Kf8, after which the black king may even be the safer of the two monarchs, and Black has bishops on an open board.
12...Qa5+ 13.Nc3 Nd5?
The engines reckon Black needed to play 13...Nf5 or 13...Nc8.
14.Qe2+ Kd7?!
And here they reckon 14..Kf8 is better, although still very good for White.
15.0-0 Rhe8
The engines agree this is best, but it is well-met by ...
16.Qc4 Nxc3 17.Qxf7+ Kxd6 18.Qxg7
... after which White is 'only' a pawn up, but the black king is horribly exposed.
18...Ne2+!?
This is the engines' top choice.
19.Kh1 Qd5 20.Qxf6+ Re6 21.Qg5 Rc8
The engines prefer 21...Qxg5+!? 22.Nxg5 Re7, but Black is two pawns down and the black king is still not safe.
22.Ne5!?
This seems best.
22...Kc7 23.Rfe1 Nxd4 24.Rac1+ Kb8
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| What should White play? |
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25.Rxc8+?
This largely lets Black off the hook. Best seems to be 25.Qf4, but the engines also like 25.Qg3 and 25.Rcd1.
25...Kxc8 26.Qf4?!
Almost certainly better is 26.f4.
26...Nc6 27.Qf8+
This is the only move to keep an edge, according to the engines.
27...Qd8 28.Qxd8+ Nxd8?
The engines reckon White has just a slight edge after 28...Kxd8.
29.Nf3?!
Probably better is, among other moves, 29.Re3.
29...Rc6 30.Nd4 Rd6 31.Nb3
The engines prefer 31.Nf3, and if Black repeats with 31...Rc6, then 32.Re2!?
31...Nc6 32.g3 a5 33.Rc1?!
Probably better is 33.Re2 or 33.Kg2.
33...a4 34.Na5 Rd2 35.Nxc6 bxc6 36.Rxc6+ Kb7 37.Rc4 Rxb2 38.Rxa4 Rxf2 39.Kg1 Rc2 40.Rh4
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| Black to play and draw |
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40...h5
40...Rc1+ may also draw, but 40...Rxa2? 41.Rxh7+ wins for White, according to the Syzygy endgame tablebase.
41.a4 Ra2 42.Rf4 Kc7 43.h4 Kd7 44.Rf6 g5!?
Also drawing is 44...Rxa4.
45.hxg5 Rxa4 46.Rh6 Rg4 47.Rxh5 Rxg3+ 48.Kf2 Ra3
The position is easily drawn.
The game finished:
49.Rh4 Ke7 50.Rf4 Ra5 51.Rg4 Kf7 52.Kg3 Kg6 53.Kh4 Ra1 54.Rg3 Ra4+ 55.Rg4 Ra1 56.Kg3 Ra5 57.Kf4 ½–½
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