Jiří Chmelik (1875) - Spanton (1946)
Queen's Gambit Declined 4...c5
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 c5!? 5.cxd5
In the same tournament last year JC played the less-critical, but still interesting, 5.e3, our game being drawn in 32 moves.
5...cxd4 6.Qa4+!?
For the main continuation, 6.Qxd4, see my round-four game.
6...Qd7!
Stockfish17 and Dragon1 reckon this somewhat counterintuitive move gives Black a slight edge.
7.Qxd4 Nc6 8.Qd1 Nxd5 9.Nxd5 exd5!
The engines agree this is better than the 'freeing' 9...Qxd5.
10.Nf3
Not 10.e3? Bb4+.
10...h6 11.Be3
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| How should Black proceed? |
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11...d4!?
This pawn sacrifice is probably a novelty. The engines prefer the known 11...Be7.
12.Bxd4
Not 12.Nxd4?? Bb4+ 13.Bd2 Qxd4.
12...Nxd4 13.Qxd4 Qxd4 14.Nxd4 Bb4+ 15.Kd1
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| How would you assess this queenless middlegame? |
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White is a pawn up, but cannot castle, while Black has the bishop-pair. The engines reckon Black has full compensation for the pawn, but no more.
15...Be6!?
The engines prefer 15...Bc5 or 15...0-0.
16.e3!
This is better than the tempting 16.Nxe6, according to the engines.
16...0-0-0 17.Bd3 Rhe8?!
This prevents 18.Ke2?, thanks to the reply 18...Rxd4!, but the engines prefer 17...Kb8 or 17...Bd5.
18.a3 Ba5 19.Kc2?!
The engines much prefer 19.b4 and then Kc2.
19...Kb8 20.Rad1
This was a good time for Nxe6, according to the engines, eg 20.Nxe6 Rxe6 21.Rad1, one point being the zwischenzug 20...Rc8+? can be met by 21.Kd1! Rxe6 22.Ke2, when Black's pressure has dissipated, and White remains a pawn up.
20...Bd5 21.Rhg1 g6!?
The immediate ...Bc7 is possibly better.
22.Kb1 Bc7 23.h3?!
White has at least a slight edge after 23.g3.
23...Bh2 24.Rh1 Be5 25.Nf3
This would also have been a good answer to 24...Bc7.
25...Bf6 26.Rhe1 Re6 27.Rd2 Rb6 28.Ree2?!
The game is equal after 28.e4, according to the engines.
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| What should Black play? |
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28...Bxf3!?
28...Bxb2!? transposes, but possibly better is 28...Bc3!?, when 29.Rc2?? loses to 29...Bxf3 30.gxf3 Rxd3, so White must play 29.Rd1, when 29...Bc6 threatens ...Ba4. White can take the sting out this, at least temporarily, with 30.Ka2, but then 30...Bg7 leaves Black on top, eg 31.Ne1 Bb5 32.Red2 Ba4 33.Rc1 Bb3+ 34.Kb1 Rbd6, after which Black has not won material, but continuing pressure gives a winning position, according to the engines.
29.gxf3 Bxb2 30.Rxb2 Rxb2+ 31.Kxb2 Rxd3 32.Rc2
Immediately after pressing the clock, JC offered a draw.
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| How would you assess this rook-and-pawn ending? |
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Black has much the better pawn-structure, but Stockfish17 reckons that is only enough for a slight edge, although Dragon1 gives Black the upper hand.
32...Rd5 33.h4 Rf5 34.f4 Rh5
Better, according to the engines, is 34...Rb5+!?, driving the white king away, and then 35...Rh5. If White tries 35.Kc3? then 35...Rc5+ 36.Kd3 Rxc2 37.Kxc2 is a winning pawn-ending for Black, eg 37...Kc7 38.Kc3 b5 39.e4 Kc6, when it is clear White's 4-3 kingside majority cannot create a passed pawn, whereas Black's 2-1 queenside majority can.
35.Kc3?
The engines give 35.Rc4, claiming Black has only a slight edge.
35...Rxh4?!
This is winning, but 35...Rc5+ etc is simpler and much clearer.
36.Kd4 g5?
Black wins after 36...Rh5, according to the engines.
37.Ke5 gxf4 38.exf4 Rg4 39.Kf5 Rg6 40.Re2 Ra6 41.Re8+ Kc7 42.Re7+ Kc6 43.Kf6?
A cardinal rule for rook-endings, according to first world correspondence champion Cecil Purdy, is to take, because taking frees a rook for other duties. So here 43.Rxf7 Rxa3 44.Rf6+ etc is completely equal, according to the engines.
43...Rxa3 44.f5 Rf3 45.Rxf7
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| Black has one only one move that gives an advantage, but that advantage leaves Black with at least the upper hand, according to the engines |
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45...a5! 46.Re7 Rxf2?
There was no need to spend a tempo on this. Correct is 46...a4, and Black is also better after 46...b5!?, according to the engines.
47.Re3?
Too defensive. White should harass the black king, eg 47.Re6+ Kb5 48.Re5+ Kb4 49.Re4+ Kb3 50.Re3+ Kb2 51.Re7 b5 52.Re5, with complete equality, according to the engines.
47...b5 48.Ke6 b4 49.f6 a4 50.Re4 Kc5
This is good enough, but simpler is 50...Rxf6+! 51.Kxf6 Kc5 etc.
51.Re5+ Kc4 52.Rf5
The only chance.
52...Rxf5 53.Kxf5 a3??
Winning is 53...b3 54.f7 b2 55.f8=Q b1=Q+, after which both sides have queened, but Black's pieces can protect the pawns, and so Black wins.
54.f7 a2 55.f8=Q a1=Q
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| Here too both sides have queened, but with White to move the position is drawn as White can force the win of the b pawn (or check perpetually), after which the h pawn cannot be saved |
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56.Qc8+
The Syzygy endgame tablebase shows 56.Qg8+ also draws.
56...Kb3 57.Qe6+ Ka3 58.Qa6+ Kb2 59.Qe2+ Kb1 60.Qe1+ Ka2 61.Qxb4
I played on, but soon conceded the inevitable.
½–½ (71 moves)
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