Mariánské Lázně Round Nine

Spanton (1946) - František Bublik (1896)

Spanish Schliemann

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f5 4.d4!?

This trails 4.Nc3 and 4.d3 in popularity. The main line in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database runs 4.d3 fxe4 5.dxe4 Nf6 6.0-0 Bc5, and now the equally popular 6.Bxc6 and 6.Nc3 give White a slight edge, according to Stockfish17 and Dragon1, although 6.Bxc6 scores 16 percentage points higher in Mega25.

4...fxe4 5.Bxc6!? dxc6 6.Nxe5 Nf6 7.0-0 Bd6 8.Bg5 0-0

Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position?

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Black has the bishop-pair, but White has a well-placed knight at e5. Much may depend on whether the e pawn turns out to be a strength or a weakness. The engines start by calling the position equal, but given more time they come to give White a slight edge (Dragon1) or at least the better part of equality (Stockfish17).

9.Nd2 Qe8 10.Qe2 Bxe5 11.dxe5 Qxe5 12.Bxf6 Qxf6 13.c3!?

Protecting the queenside before levelling material.
13...Bf5 14.Nxe4 Qg6

If 14...Qe6, then 15.Ng3.

15.Rfe1 Rae8 16.Qc4+ Be6 17.Qd4 Bd5

Also equal is 17...Rf4 18.f3.

18.f3?

But here f3 is a mistake. White had to play 18.Ng3, with complete equality, according to the engines.

18...Rxf3! 19.Ng3 Rff8 20.c4

Not 20.Qxa7?? Qc2, when Black mates in five.

20...Be6 21.Re2 b6 22.Rae1 c5 23.Qc3 Bd7 24.Rxe8 Rxe8 25.Rxe8+ Qxe8 26.b3 Qe6 27.h3 Qd6 28.Qe3 Qd4 29.Kf2 Kf7 30.Ne2 Qxe3+ 31.Kxe3 Kf6

How would you judge this bishop-v-knight ending?

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Black is a pawn up, albeit the extra pawn is doubled, and has the better minor piece for action on both wings. All the White pawns being on light squares makes them possible targets for the bishop. The engines agree Black is winning.

32.Nc3 Bc6 33.g3 a6 34.a4

The engines prefer 34.h4!?

34...g5 35.Ne4+?

I knew Black's queenside pawns could not by themselves create a passer, but I did not properly take into account that they gave Black reserve tempi easily exploited in a pawn-ending. Black is lost anyway, but the text simplifies White's task.
35...Bxe4 36.Kxe4 c6 37.h4 h6 38.h5 Ke6 39.g4 Kf6 40.a5 bxa5 41,Kd3 Ke5 42.Ke3 a4!? 0-1