Siegfried Voglmayr (1808) - Spanton (2013)
Amateur Chess Organization 50+ World Championship Group CSicilian Accelerated Dragon
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Be3!?
The main moves in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database are 5.c4 and especially 5.Nc3, but the text is also popular and will probably transpose.
5...Bg7 6.Nc3 Nf6 7.f3!?
This is third in popularity in Mega24, behind 7.Be2 and especially 7.Bc4.
7...0-0 8.Qd2
This is White's main idea with 7.f3!? - to prepare long castling, followed by a kingside attack.
8...d5
And this is the point of Black's Accelerated Dragon move-order - to get in ...d5 without, as in the normal Dragon, spending a tempo on ...d6.
9.exd5
Stockfish17 and Dragon1 suggest immediate castling, after which the mainline in Mega24 runs 9...dxe4 10.Nxc6 Qxd2+ 11.Rxd2 bxc6 12.Nxe4 Nd5!?, when the engines reckon Black has at least a slight edge.
9...Nxd5 10.Nxd5 Qxd5 11.Nxc6 bxc6
The engines prefer the much more popular 11...Qxc6.
12.Qxd5 cxd5 13.0-0-0
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| Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position, which occurs 76 times in Mega24? |
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Black has the only pawns on the two central files and has half-open lines to the white king, but has an isolated pawn. The engines reckon Black is slightly better.
13...Bb7?
The engines reckon 13...Rd8 maintains a slight edge, but the text is a is a mistake as it lets White win material. Can you see how?
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14.Bc5
SV offered a draw.
14...Bf6 15.Bb5?
There is no good reply to 15.Re1 as 15...Rfe8 is met by 16.Bb5.
15...Rfc8 16.Ba3 Rab8 17.b3!? Ba8 18.Bd3 a5 19.Bb2 Bg5+
The engines like 19...d4!?
20.Kb1 a4 21.Rhe1 e6 22.Be5 Rb4?!
This lets White get a protected passed pawn, so probably better is 22...Rb6.
23.a3 Rb6 24.b4
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| White has at least a slight edge, according to the engines |
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24...Rbc6?!
Almost certainly better is 24...Be7, or to start getting the other bishop more into play with 24...Bc6 or 24...Bb7.
25.Re2
Probably even stronger is 25.Bb5! Rxc2 26.Ba6 R8c6 27.b5. Black can possibly improve with 25...Rb6!?, but then 26.Bxa4 Ra6 27.Bd7 Rd8 28.Bb5 Rxa3 29.Kb2 gives White a positionally won game, according to the engines.
25...f6!?
The engines suggest, among other moves, 25...Be7.
26.Bb2 Rb8 27.Bc1?!
The engines suggest 27.f4!? or 27.g3.
27...Bxc1 28.Kxc1 e5 29.Kb2 Kf7 30.Rc1 d4 31.c4 dxc3+ 32.Rxc3 Rxc3 33.Kxc3 Bd5 34.Bc2?
This throws away almost all of White's advantage, according to the engines, which recommend 34.b5, or 34.Ba6 followed by b5.
34...Rc8+ 35.Kb2 Bc6 36.Bb1 Rd8
The engines suggest centralising the king with 36...Ke6 or 36...Ke7.
37.Ba2+ Ke7 38.Kc3 Bb5 39.Rd2 Rxd2 40.Kxd2
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| How would you assess this bishop-and-pawn ending? |
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White has a protected passed pawn, but it is blockaded and there seems no clear way of safely activating it. Meanwhile Black has a mobile kingside majority. Stockfish17 calls the position equal, but Dragon1 gives White a slight edge.
40...f5 41.Bb1 Kd6 42.Ke3 h6 43.Bd3 Bc6
Black also holds after 43...Bxd3!? 44.Kxd3 g5, according to the engines.
44.Bc4 g5 45.Bd3 Bd7 46.Bc4 h5 47.g3 Be8 48.f4!?
This is the engines' top choice.
48...exf4+ 49.gxf4 g4 50.Kd4 h4 51.Bd5??
White had to play 51.Ke3.
The text allows an abrupt finish:
51...h3 52.Bh1 Bc6 0-1
The point is 53.Bxc6 Bxc6 54.Ke3 loses to 54...g3 55.hxg3 (55.Kf3 gxh2) h2.
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