Spanton (2277) - Ron van Neijhof (2136)
PC Gibbs Memorial
Spanish Exchange
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.0-0 f6
Black scores a respectable 46% with this in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database. More popular is 5...Bg4, although that scores only 43%. The mainline in Mega25 after 5...Bg4 runs 6.h3 h5!? 7.d3 (7.hxg4?! hxg4 is almost certainly good for Black) Qf6 8.Nbd2 Ne7 9.Re1 Ng6, with an equal position, according to Stockfish17 and Dragon1.
6.d4 exd4 7.Nxd4
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| This position is reached 4,057 times in Mega 25 |
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In some ways the Exchange Variation of the Spanish might be thought a bad choice at correspondence chess in that White's capture on c6 releases some of the tension from the position. However, the opening can be thought of as a battle between White's better pawn-structure and Black's bishop-pair. Over the board the latter can be very effective, but with the help of engines the bishops should not prove to be anything that White cannot handle. The better structure, on the other hand, is an advantage that is only likely to tell in an ending - an ending well beyond the engines' early event-horizon. It may be my reasoning is faulty, but this reasoning is what lies behind my decision to play the variation at correspondence chess.
7...c5 8.Ne2!?
More popular is 8.Nb3, which was Bobby Fischer's choice against Lajos Portisch in 1966 and in game nine of his 1992 rematch against Boris Spassky. Fischer won both of those encounters, but in game 27 of the rematch he switched to the text, resulting in a draw. There is probably very little to choose between the two moves, but I feel the knight is a little more flexible on e2, and and a lot less likely to be targeted by black pawns.
8...Qxd1 9.Rxd1 Bd7 10.Be3 0-0-0 11.Nbc3 Bd6
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| How should White proceed? |
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12.Bf4!?
Moving a piece for a second time, but White is slightly ahead on development, so that is not a problem, and now Black faces a dilemma.
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| How should Black respond? |
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12...Bxf4
This is the commonest continuation in Mega25. The engines marginally prefer 12...Be6 13.Bxd6 Rxd6, when after 14.Nf4!? Bf7 they suggest the apparent-novelty 15.Nfd5, although they reckon the position is equal.
13.Nxf4 Ne7 14.Nh5!?
Much more popular are 14.f3 and especially 14.Rd2.
14...Rhg8 15.Nd5 Nxd5 16.Rxd5 Rde8!? 17.f3 b6
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| How would you assess this late-middlegame? |
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Black has the better minor piece for cooperating with rooks, at least when the position is open. But here there are a lot of pawns on the board, and White has the better endgame structure. The engines reckon White is slightly better.
18.Kf2 Be6 19.Rd2 f5
RvH offered a draw.
20.exf5 Bxf5 21.Rad1
Black has succeeded in opening lines, but the engines reckon White remains slightly better.
21...Re5 22.Ng3 Be6 23.a3 Rf8 24.Re2 Rxe2 25.Kxe2 h6 26.h4 a5 27.Ke3 Bd7 28.Ne4 Bc6 29.Rd2 Re8 30.h5!? Re7 31.g3 Kb7!? 32.g4!?
The tempting 32.Rd8 can be met by 32...Ba4, when 33.c3 Kc6 gives complete equality, according to the engines.
32...Kc8
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| Black's problem is there is no real counterplay in that Black cannot create a passed pawn on the queenside (at least with normal play), so the only real question is whether White can create a dangerous passer on the kingside |
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33.Kf4 Rf7+ 34.Kg3 Re7 35.Nc3 a4 36.Ne4 Rf7
Almost certainly not 36...Bxe4?! 37.Re2.
37.Rd3 Re7 38.Kf2 Bb5 39.Re3 Rd7 40.Nc3 Bc6
RvN offered a draw.
41.Re8+ Kb7 42.Re5 Rd2+ 43.Re2 Rd7 44.Ne4 Bb5 45.Rd2
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| How should Black proceed? |
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45...Re7!?
The engines prefer allowing rooks to come off, which is putting a lot of faith in the power of the bishop. However, after the text is inputted, and then the diagram position is restored, Dragon1 comes to prefer the text, although Stockfish17 suggests 45...Kc6 or 45...Kc8.
46.Rd8 Bc4 47.Ng3 b5 48.Rd2 Rf7 49.Nf5 Be6 50.Ne3 Kc6 51.Kg3 Re7
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| At last I felt it was time to advance my kingside majority |
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52.f4
Stockfish17 approves, but Dragon1 prefers continued manoeuvring with 52.Rd8 or 52.c3.
52...Re8 53.c3 Bc8 54.Kf2 Rf8 55.Kf3 Be6 56.Rg2!? b4 57.g5!? hxg5 58.Rxg5
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| White's kingside pawns are split, but the weakest pawn on the board is probably the g pawn |
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58...Bf7 59.Ng4 Kd6 60.Ne5 bxa3!?
The engines reckon it is slightly better to avoid the rook endgame with 60...Be8, but they still have White well on top.
61.Nxf7+ Rxf7 62.bxa3
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| How would you assess this rook-and-pawn ending? |
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Material is level, and every white pawn is isolated, but so is every black pawn. The key difference is White will be able to create a passed pawn on the kingside, and that will be enough for victory as Black's three queenside pawns are held up by two white pawns.
62...Re7 63.c4!? c6 64.Kg4 Re3 65.Rg6+ Ke7 66.Rxg7+ Kf6 67.h6 Re1 68.Rg5 Rg1+ 69.Kf3 Rh1
Or 69...Rxg5 70.fxg5+ Kxg5 71.h7 etc.
70.Rxc5 Rxh6 71.Rxc6+ Kf5 72.Rc5+
Not 72.Rxh6??
72...Ke6 73.Kg4 Rg6+ 74.Rg5 Rh6 75.f5+ Kf7 76.Rg6 Rh1 77.Ra6 1-0
At the end, after RvN congratulated me, I replied that I had been unable to pinpoint the moment when the game passed from within the drawing margin to being won. He answered: "That's also a 'mystery' for me."
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