Spanton (2013) - Luis AbadÃa Pascual (1836)
Sicilian Richter-Rauzer
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 Qb6!?The most popular moves in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database are 6...Bd7 and especially 6...e6.
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| How should White respond? |
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7.Bxf6!?
The mainline in Mega24 runs 7.Nb3 e6 8.Qd2 Be7 9.0-0-0 0-0 10.f3 Rd8 11.Be3 Qc7, with what Stockfish17 and Dragon1 reckon is a game with equal chances.
7...gxf6 8.Nb3 Be6!?
The engines reckon this is a positional mistake, preferring 8...f5, as played in Orest Popovych - Bent Larsen, Canadian Open (Toronto) 1968, which continued 9.Qh5!? fxe4 10.Bc4 Ne5 11.Bb5+ Kd8!?, when the engines reckon 12.Be2 would have given White full compensation for a pawn.
9.Nd5 Bxd5 10.exd5 Ne5 11.f4?
White has a winning game after 11.Bd3!? or 11.c3, according to the engines, eg 11.Bd3!? Nxd3 12.Qxd3, when I guess they like White's extra space and superior pawn-structure.
11...Qe3+ 12.Qe2 Qxf4 13.Qb5+
The engines suggest 13.g3!?, continuing 13...Qb4 14.c3 Qg4!?, and now 15.Qb5+ or 15.Nd4, claiming Black is only slightly better.
13...Nd7 14.Qxb7 Qe3+ 15.Be2 Rb8 16.Qc6 Rg8 17.g3 Rg5 18.Rf1?!
Probably better is 18.Rd1.
18...Re5 19.Rf2?!
Probably better is 19.Qc4, but 19...Bh6 leaves Black well on top.
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| Black to play and gain an advantage worth about 2.75 pawns, according to the engines |
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19...Bh6
This looks natural, especially as it is an example of 'inviting everyone to the party', but winning is the engines' 19...Qe4! White has no good answer to the threat of ...Qh1+, eg 20.Rd1?! Qh1+ 21.Kd2 Bh6+ 22.Kd3 Qe4+ 23.Kc3 Qb4+ 24.Kd3 Re3#. Best, according to the engines, is 20.Qc3, but simply 20...Qxd5 gives a winning advantage, and Black probably has even better moves.
20.Kf1!
This equalises by making Bf3 possible in answer to 20...Qe4.
20...f5?!
The engines like 20...Qe4 or 20...Qb6.
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| White to play and gain an advantage worth about 1.75 pawns, according to the engines |
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21.Rd1
Black has no good answer to 21.Na5!, eg 21...Qc5 22.Qxc5 and 23.Nc6, or 21...Qd2 22.Nc4 Qxd5 23.Nxe5.
21...Qb6 22.Bd3 e6 23.Qxc6 Nxb6!? 24.dxe6 fxe6 25.Nd4?!
This allows a strong reply, so White probably needs to play 25.c4!?, albeit the engines prefer Black.
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| Black to play and gain at least the upper hand, according to the engines |
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25...Nd5!
Black ignores the threat of a fork at c6 to set up the threat of an even stronger fork at e3.
26.Re1?
The engines give 26.Rb1, but reckon 26...Ne3+ or, probably even stronger, 26...Kd7 with ...Ne3+ to come, gives at least the upper hand.
26...Ne3+ 27.Kg1 Rxb2?
Black lets himself be distracted by the apparently easy win of a pawn, whereas 27...Ng4 (27...Nd5 is also strong) wins, eg 28.Rfe2 Be3+ nets at least the exchange.
28.Rfe2 Ng4 29.Nxe6! Be3+ 30.Kg2 Rxe6
Possibly better is the engines' 30...Bd2!? 31.Rxe5 dxe5 32.Re2 Bh6, when the threat of 33...Ne3+ prevents 33.Bxf5?
31.Bxf5 Re5 32.Bxg4 Bd4 33.Be6
This allows a sharp reply, whereas 33.Bf5 h6 34.a4 gives White at least the better side of equality, according to the engines.
33...Rxc2! 34.Rxc2 Rxe1 35.Bf5 h6 36.Bg4 Bc5 37.h3 Kf7 38.Bh5+ Kf6 39.g4!?
Getting a pawn off a dark square, so it cannot be a target for Black's bishop, but this lets the black king into the white kingside.
39...Kg5 40.a4 Kh4 ½–½
If anyone is better in the final position, it is Black, but LAP was relieved to have made the first part of the time control (40 moves in 90 minutes, with 15 minutes to finish, and a 30-second increment throughout), and anyway, as he pointed out, the game should now be drawn.
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