Spanton (2013) - Gabriel Voiteanu (2110)
Spanish Exchange
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.d4 exd4 6.Qxd4 Qxd4 7.Nxd4 Nf6!?
More common are 7...c5 and especially 7...Bd7, but the text is also popular with masters and at club level.
8.f3 c5 9.Nde2 Bd6!?
Now Black cannot maintain the bishop-pair. However, after ...
10.Bf4 Nh5 11.Bxd6 cxd6
... Black no longer has doubled pawns, but instead has a backward d pawn.
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| How would you assess the resulting position? |
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The main feature of the position is the backward d pawn, which gives White the upper hand, according to Stockfish17 and Dragon1.
12.Nbc3 Be6 13.0-0-0 0-0-0 14.Nd5 Bxd5 15.Rxd5 Nf6 16.Rd2 d5?
Impatient. The engines reckon 16...Kc7 or 16...Rhe8!? keeps Black's disadvantage to a minimum.
17.e5 Ng8 18.Rhd1 Ne7 19.c3?
Too slow. Much better, as GV pointed out after the game, is 19.Nc3 d4 20.Na4, winning a pawn.
19...Kc7 20.a4 Kc6 21.Nf4 g5!? 22.Nh5 Nf5 23.Nf6 d4 24.g3 b5
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| How should White proceed? |
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25.b4?
The game is completely equal, according to the engines, after moves such as 25.g4!?, 25.Kb1 and 25.axb5+.
25...Ne3 26.Re1 Nc4 27.Rd3?!
The engines suggest 27.bxc5 or 27.Rdd1, but agree Black is winning.
27...dxc3 28.axb5+ axb5 29.Rxd8 Rxd8 30.e6 fxe6 31.Rxe6+ Rd6 32.Rxd6+ Nxd6
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| How would you assess this knight-and-pawn ending? |
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White, although temporarily a pawn down, is about to go a pawn up, but the key is that Black's queenside pawns are much closer to promoting than are White's kingside pawns, meaning Black has an advantage worth more than a queen (Dragon1) or at least more than a rook (Stockfish17).
33.bxc5 Kxc5 34.Nxh7 b4 35.Nxg5 b3 36.Ne6+
Or 36.Ne4+ Nxe4 37.fxe4 Kd4 38.e5 Kd3 39.e6 c2 (39...b2+ also wins) 40.e7 Kc3 41.e8=Q b2#.
36...Kc4 37.h4 Nb5 0-1
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