John Mortensen (1983) - Spanton (1896)
Sicilian Hyper-Accelerated Dragon
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.c3 Bg7 4.Bc4!?
This is second-most popular in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database, but a long way behind 4.d4. It is also the second choice of Stockfish17 and Dragon1 (again behind 4.d4).
4...e6 5.0-0 Ne7 6.d4 cxd4 7.cxd4 d5 8.exd5 exd5
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| Where should White's light-square bishop go? |
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9.Bb5+
This and 9.Bb3 are almost equally popular in Mega25, but the text scores 16 percentage points better.
9...Bd7 10.Qb3!?
This may be a novelty. Normal is 10.Bxd7+, when 10...Qxd7 11.Ne5 Qd6!? is fine for Black as 12.Bf4 can be coolly met by castling.
10...Nc6 11.Nc3!?
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| How should Black proceed? |
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11...0-0!?
This seems fine. The engines also like 11...a6 and 11...h6!?, but 11...Nxd4? loses to 12.Nxd4 Bxd4 13.Nxd5, eg 13...0-0 14.Bg5! Bxb5 15.Nxe7+ Kh8 16.Qxb5 f6 17.Bh6 Qxe7 18.Bxf8.
12.Nxd5 Nxd5 13.Qxd5 Be6 14.Qxd8 Rfxd8 15.Bxc6 bxc6 16.Be3
12.Nxd5 Nxd5 13.Qxd5 Be6 14.Qxd8 Rfxd8 15.Bxc6 bxc6 16.Be3
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| How would you assess this queenless middlegame? |
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White is a pawn up, has a farside pawn-majority, and has one isolani against Black's two. But Black has the bishop-pair, a lead in development and the initiative. The engines reckon the game is completely equal.
16...Rab8
Possibly better is 16...Rdb8!? This takes pressure off d4, but if, as seems likely, White feels obliged to play b3, a rook on the a file will defend a7 in the short term and, in the medium term, support a7-a5-a4.
17.b3
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| What should Black play? |
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17...a5!?
17...a5!?
Black wins the exchange with 17...c5 18.dxc5 Bxa1, but after 19.Rxa1 White has two pawns for it, and Black no longer has the bishop-pair. Dragon1 reckons that leaves White slightly better, but Stockfish17 is less sure.
18.Rac1 Bd5 19.Ne5
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| How should Black continue? |
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19...Bxe5!?
Dragon1 reckons this is best, but Stockfish17 flicks between the text and 19...Rb6. After the latter, play might run 20.Nd3 (20.Rc5 Ra6 seems fine for Black) a4!? 21.bxa4 Ra8 22.Nc5 Rb2 with an an active position for Black that more-or-less compensates for White's extra two, but doubled, pawns.
20.dxe5 a4?!
The engines dislike this, preferring first 20...Re8, and if 21.f4 then 21...a4. However White can instead play, for example, 21.Rfd1!? as 21...Rxe5?? fails to 22.Bf4, so best may be 21...Ra8, after which the e pawn cannot really be held as 22.f4 is met by 22...a4.
21.bxa4 Ra8 22.Bb6 Re8 23.a5 Rxe5
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| How should White proceed? |
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24.Rfe1!?
White is still better after this, but the engines prefer hanging on to the extra pawn, even though it is doubled and interferes with White's rooks joining the a file to support White's advanced passer. The engines quite like pushing the a2 pawn, either one square or two, but their top choice comes to be 24.f3, one point being 24...Re2 can be met by 25.Rf2.
24...Rxe1+ 25.Rxe1 Bxa2
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| How would you assess this rook-and-opposite-coloured-bishops ending? |
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Material is equal, but, as is fairly well-known, the presence of a pair of rooks dramatically reduces the drawish tendencies of opposite-coloured bishops. Here, the fact that White's passed pawn is further advanced than Black's gives White the upper hand (Dragon1) or at least a slight edge (Stockfish17). Nevertheless it appears the game should be drawn with correct play.
26.Rc1 Bd5 27.f3 Kf8 28.Kf2 h5 29.Ke3 Ke7 30.Kd4 Kd6 31.Ra1 Ra6
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| The black rook effectively can no longer move, as to allow a6 would almost certainly be fatal |
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32.Ra3 Be6 33.f4
Creating the possibility of a later f5!?
33...Bf5 34.Kc4 Be4 35.g3 Bd5+ 36.Kb4 Be6 37.Rd3+ Bd5
Now 38.f5!? can be played, but after 38...gxf5 there seems no way for White to get at Black's shattered kingside.
38.Ra3 ½–½
TEAM RESULT
TEAM RESULT
Per Andreasen (FM 2233) = Brian Hewson (2039)
Peter Mikkelsen (2112) = Anthony Ashby (2049)
John Mortensen (1983) = Tim Spanton (1896)
John Mortensen (1983) = Tim Spanton (1896)
Steffen Cordes (1943) 0-1 Charles Higgie (1945)
DENMARK 1.5-2.5 ENGLAND 3
DENMARK 1.5-2.5 ENGLAND 3
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