Crete Round Three

FACED a German in the second of today's double-round games.

Spanton (2013) - Jens Müller (1914)

Amateur Chess Organization 50+ World Championship Group C
Modern

1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 c5!? 4.Nf3!?

This is the main move in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database.

4...Qa5!?

After 4...cxd4 5.Nxd4 we have an Accelerated Dragon. The text keeps the game in independent Modern lines.

5.d5!?

There are just 33 (out of 763) games with this continuation in Mega24, but it packs plenty of venom.

How should Black respond?

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5...d6!?

This may be best. The problem with 5...Bxc3+, as twice played by Raymond Keene, is that after 6.bxc3 Qxc3+ 7.Bd2 White gets a lot of compensation for a pawn. Keens preferred 6...Nf6!?, but the engines give White at least the upper hand.

6.Bd2 Nf6 7.Be2 0-0 8.0-0

Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position?

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It looks like a Benoni, rather than a Modern, and a version of the Benoni in which White has kept the c4 square clear for possible occupation by the king's knight, which is usually good for White. The engines give White the upper hand.

8...a6 9.Re1 Qc7

Not 9...b5? 10.Nxb5.

10.a4 b6 11.Bg5 h6 12.Bh4 Bg4

The engines like 12...g5!? 13.Bg3 Nh5 and ...Nxg3.

13.Nd2!? Bxe2 14.Qe2 Nh5 15.Nc4 Nf4 16.Qd2 g5 17.Bg3 Ng6 18.Ne3 Nd7 19.Nf5 Nde5 20.Qe2?!

The engines do not like this, preferring, for example, 20.Bxe5!?, 20.Ne2 and 20.f4.

20...e6 21.Nxg7 Kxg7 22.Rad1 Qe7 23.Qh5!? Rad8 24.Ne2 Qf6!?

The engines at first dislike this, but Stokcfish17 comes to view it as OK, although agreeing with Dragon1 that best is 24...Rfe8!?

25.Rf1 exd5

How should White recapture?

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26.exd5?!

Much better, according to the engines is 26.Rxd5.

26...Qf5 27.f4 Qg4 28.Qxg4 Nxg4

The engines reckon Black has a slight edge (Stockfish17), or at least has completely equalised (Dragon1)

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29.f5 N6e5 30.Bxe5+ dxe5!?

The game is equal after both the text and 30...Nxe5, according to the engines.

31.Rf3 c4!? 32.Nc3 Nf6 33.Re3 Re8 34.h3 e4!? 35.Rd4 Re5 36.Rxc4 Rxf5 37.Nxe4 Nxe4 38.Rcxe4 Rdxd5

JM offered a draw.

39.g4!? Rf6 40.Kg2 Rc6 41.Re2 Rdc5 42.c3 Kg6 43.Ree3 Rc4 44.Kf2 Rxe4 45.Rxe4 f5 46.gxf5 Kxf5 47.Rd4 Re6 48.b4 h5 49.Kf3 Ke5 50.Re4+ Kf5 51.Rd4

Not 51.Rxe6? as 51...Kxe6 52.Ke4 (52.c4 Ke5) b5 wins easily.

51...Ke5 ½–½