Jacobo Villaneuva Bartolome (1884) - Spanton (2009)
Chigorin
1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nc3 e6!?
More popular are 3...e5, 3...Nf6 and 3...dxc4, but the text has been played by grandmasters, and is liked by Stockfish17 and Dragon1.
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4.cxd5!?
The mainline in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database runs 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3 0-0 7.Bd3 h6 8.Bh4 b6 9.0-0, with what the engines reckon is an equal position.
4...exd5 5.Bf4 Bd6!? 6.Bxd6
If 6.Nxd5 then 6...Bxf4 7.Nxf4 Qxd4, with equality, according to the engines.
6...Qxd6 7.e3 Nf6 8.Nf3 0-0 9.Bd3 Re8 10.0-0
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The pawn-structure is the famous Carlsbad, and the position could easily have arisen from a regular Exchange Variation of the Queen's Gambit, but with the black queen's knight occupying c6 rather than a more normal square for that opening of d7 or f8. The engines reckon the position is equal.
10...Bg4 11.Rc1 a6 12.h3 Bh5 13.a3 Nd8!? 14.Be2
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14...Ne4?!
This move is often played in the QGD Exchange, but here it is probably a mistake. Black is fine after 14...c6 or 14...Ne6.
15.Nxe4 dxe4
Not 15...Rxe4? as 16.Ng5 wins the exchange.
16.Ne5
The engines reckon 16.Nd2 is even stronger.
16...Bxe2 17.Qxe2
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Black no longer has much prospect of pressure against White's kingside. The most significant features of the position are the strongly posted white knight, the advanced but vulnerable black e pawn, and White's potential for play on either flank. The engines give White the upper hand.
17...Ne6 18.Qc2
Best, according to the engines, is 18.f4!? with f5 to come, and if 18...exf3?! then 19.Qxf3 f6 20.Nc4 and 21.Qxb7.
18...f6 19.Ng4!?
The engines prefer 19.Nc4.
19...h5 20.Nh2 Qd5 21.f3 f5 22.fxe4 fxe4 23.Rfe1!? c6 24.Nf1 h4?!
As JVB pointed out after the game, this expansion is weakening rather than strengthening.
25.Nd2 Ng5 26.Nc4 Rad8 27.Qf2 Re6?
The engines suggest 27...c5 or 27...Nf7!?, but much prefer White.
28.Ne5!
This is even stronger than grabbing the h4 pawn, according to the engines.
28...Rh6 29.Qf4 Nh7 30.Rc5 Qe6 31.Ng4 Rg6 32.Re5 Qf7
This is best, according to the engines, but White is winning.
33.Qxf7+ Kxf7 34.Rxe4 Re6 35.Ne5+ Ke7 36.Ng6+ Kd7 37.Rxe6 Kxe6 38.Nxh4
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38...g5 39.Nf3 Kd5 40.Rc1 b6 41.Kf2 Rd6 42.Ke2 Ke4?! 43.Nd2+ Kf5 44.Nc4 Rh6 45.Nxb6 g4 46.Rc5+ 1-0
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