Daniel MartÃn Rueda (2251) - Spanton (2013)
Giuoco Piano
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d3 Nf6 5.Nbd2!?
A relatively rare continuation - there are eight more-popular moves in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database - but it has been played by grandmasters.
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| Relatively rare, but the position occurs 487 times in Mega24 |
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5...0-0 6.h3 d6 7.c3 a6 8.Bb3 Be6 9.Bc2 h6 10.g4!?
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| How should Black respond to this pawn thrust? |
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10...Nxg4?!
Apparently a novelty, and almost certainly an unsound one, but it does give practical chances. Sergey Makarichev (2540) - ldar Ibragimov (2580), Russian Team Championship (Kazan) 1995, went 10...Nh7 11.Rg1 d5 12.exd5 Bxd5 13.Ne4 Be7 14.Qe2, with a slight edge for White, according to Stockfish17 and Dragon1 (1-0, 28 moves).
11.hxg4 Bxg4 12.Rg1
DMR spent 24 minutes on this move, which is the top choice of the engines.
12...Qd7 13.Bb3
The engines give best-play as 13.Nf1 f5 14.exf5!? Qxf5 15.d4 Qh5 16.Rxg4!? Qxg4 17.dxc5 Qxf3 18.Bb3+ Kh7 19.Qxf3 Rxf3 20.cxd6 cxd6, when they reckon Black's rook and two pawns are no match for White's two bishops.
13...Kh8 14.Qc2 f5 15.Nh4 Ne7?!
Probably better is 15...Rf6.
16.exf5 Bxf5 17.Nxf5 Bxf2+!?
Sacrificing (temporarily) a third minor piece, but it seems the best move available. There follows a forced sequence ...
18.Kxf2 Qxf5+ 19.Nf3 Qxf3+ 20.Ke1
... at the end of which the engines reckon White's two bishops give at least a slight edge over Black's knight and three pawns.
20...Rf6 21.Qe2
The engines' 21.Qh2!? may be a little stronger.
21...Raf8 22.Be3 Qh3 23.Kd2 Nf5 24.Rae1 Nxe3 25.Qxe3 Rf3
The engines suggest 25...Qxe3+ or 25...Rf2+, but give White the upper hand.
26.Qe4 Qh2+ 27.Kc1 Qf4+ 28.Qxf4 R3xf4
The engines fluctuate between the text and recapturing with the e pawn.
29.Rg2?!
Much stronger, according to the engines, is 29.d4.
29...g5 30.Be6?!
Again the engines prefer pushing the d pawn, or first doubling on the e file with 30.Rge2.
30...Kg7 31.c4?!
The game is equal, according to the engines, after 31.Reg1.
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| How can Black exploit White's last move? |
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31...b6
It seems it was time to get the kingside passers rolling, and that can begin immediately with 31...h5!?, one point being 32.Rxg5? runs into 32...Kf6, after which 33.Rxh5 Kxe6 leaves Black a pawn up.
32.Kd2 a5?
Playing on the wrong side of the board, and making it easy for White to open a file there later. The engines reckon 32...h5!? and 32...Kg6 give complete equality.
33.Bd5?!
White has the upper hand after the restraining 33.Rh1, according to the engines.
33...Kf6?
The engines agree 33...g4 is completely equal. The text almost forces White to play the best move.
34.Rh1 Kg7 35.Ke2
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| The passed duo is fixed, so White ensures there will be no black invasion, and can then decisively open a file on the queenside |
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35...Rh8 36.a3 Kf6 37.Rgh2 Kg7 38.b4 axb4 39.axb4 Rff8
There is no defence.
40.Ra1 Re8 41.Rf2 Rhf8 42.Rxf8 Kxf8 43.Rf1+!
The sure way to win, whereas 43.Ra8!? Rxa8 44.Bxa8 is unclear, with Dragon1 at first reckoning Black is winning, but coming to see the ending as completely drawn, whereas Stockfish17 also fluctuates, eventually coming to give White the upper hand, and finally deciding White is, after all, winning.
43...Ke7 44.Rf7+ Kd8 45.Rh7 Re7 46.Rxh6 Rg7 47.Kf3 Ke7 48.Kg4 1-0
43...Ke7 44.Rf7+ Kd8 45.Rh7 Re7 46.Rxh6 Rg7 47.Kf3 Ke7 48.Kg4 1-0
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