Colin Costello (1856) - Spanton (1946)
English Symmetrical
1.c4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nf3 g6 4.g3 Bg7 5.Bg2
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| How should Black proceed? |
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5...Nf6
This symmetrical response might seem unremarkable, but there are three more-popular moves in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database: 5...e5, 5...e6 and 5...d6. Not only that, but whereas the text scores just 43%, the other three moves all score more than 50%.
6.d4 cxd4 7.Nxd4 0-0 8.0-0 Qb6 9.Nc2 d6 10.b3!?
This looks risky, but Black seems to have no way to exploit the looseness of the c3 knight.
10...Be6 11.Ne3 Rfc8!?
This appears to be a novelty, at least in this exact position. The idea is to give Black's queen the option of falling back to d8 without breaking the connection of the black rooks along the back rank.
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| How should White respond? |
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12.Bb2
This looks natural, but Stockfish17 and Dragon1 fluctuate between other moves before coming to like 12.Bd2!?
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| Can Black take advantage of the game continuation? |
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12...a5?!
Maybe not, but in any event this is probably not the way to try. The diagram was reached by transposition in Tor Kaasen (2458) - Adrián Suárez Uriel (2348), Chess.com online blitz 2022, when 12...Qd8!? 13.Qd2 a6 14.Rfd1 gave White a slight edge, according to the engines (1-0, 40 moves). They suggest 12...Qa5 or 12...Rab8, but reckon White is slightly better.
13.Qd2 h5!?
The engines prefer several moves, including 13...Rab8, 13...Ne5 and 13...Qb4, but in each case awarding White the upper hand.
14.Rad1 Kh7 15.Ncd5?!
The threat of a knight landing on d5 has been in the air for many moves, but the engines do not like it, suggesting, among other moves, 15.h3!?, one line running 15...Rf8!? 16.Kh2 Bd7!? 17.f4 e6 18.g4, claiming White has a positionally won game.
15...Bxd5 16.Nxd5
The engines prefer both 16.cxd5 and 16.Bxd5!?
16...Nxd5 17.Bxg7 Kxg7
On 17...Ne3!? the engines reckon 18.Qxe3!? Qxe3 19.fxe3 Kxg7 20.c5!? is equal, and also 18.Bb2!? Nxf1 19.Kxf1.
18.Qxd5 a4 19.Qb5?!
Probably better is 19.Rb1.
19...Qc7?!
Almost certainly better is 19...Qxb5 20.cxb3 Nd8.
20.b4 Rcb8?!
Black maintains the balance with 20...a3!?, according to the engines.
21.a3 ½–½
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| Was I right to accept the draw offer? |
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I rejected 21...Ne5 because of 22.Rc1, when the engines give White the upper hand. In the postmortem the best I could come up with was 21...Ra6, which comes to be Dragon1's top choice for a while, but again the engines give White the upper hand. They suggest two moves we did not consider, namely 21...e6!? and 21...h4!?, but in both cases with the upper hand for White. So, yes, by every objective measure (apart, perhaps, from the relative ratings), I was right to take the draw.
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