TOOK a halfpoint bye in round three.
Sicilian Maróczy Bind
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4!?
Ensuring White will get a Maróczy Bind.
3...Nc6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Nc3 d6 8.Be2 0-0 9.0-0
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| How would you assess this position. which occurs 19,854 times in ChessBaase's 2025 Mega database? |
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White's space advantage gives a slight edge, according to Stockfish17 and Dargon1.
9...Bd7 10.f3!?
This has been played by many strong players, including Capablanca, Alekhine, Kramnik and Short, but more popular are 10.Rc1 and especially 10.Qd2.
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| How should Black respond? |
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10...Qb6!?
The engines prefer the main continuation, 10...Nxd4, meeting 11.Bxd4 by offering an exchange of dark-square bishops with 11...Nh5!? (Dragon1 also likes 11...a6). After 12.Bxg7 Nxg7 White is left with a bad bishop, and will not find it easy to exploit the weakening of the black king's position. Nevertheless the engines give White an edge.
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| How should White meet Black's queen development? |
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11.Na4
This is the most popular continuation in Mega25, but the engines slightly prefer 11.Kh1!?, when 11...Qxb2!? allows the queen to be trapped after 12.Na4, eg 12...Qb4? 13.Bd2 Qa3? 14.Nb5, or 12...Qa3?! 13.Bc1, when 13...Qb4 14.Bd2 transposes to the previous line. The engines suggest 12...Qxa1!? 13.Qxa1 Nxd4 14.Bxd4 Bxa4, when Black has rook, knight and pawn for the queen, but the engines give White the upper hand.
Far from clear is 11.Qd2!? Nxe4!?, although after the fireworks of 12.Nxc6 Nxd2 13.Nxe7+ Kh8 14.Bxb6 Nxf1 15.Bf2 Bxc3 16.bxc3 Rae8 (16...Rfe8?? 17.Bd4+ f6 18.Bxf6#) 17.Bd4+ f6 18.Nd5 Rxe2 19.Nxf6 Rxf6 20.Bxf6+ Kg8 21.Kxf1, the resulting position is completely equal (but there were many chances to go wrong along the way).
11...Qa5 12.Nxc6
The engines prefer 12.Nb5 or 12.Nc3, claiming a slight edge for White.
12...bxc6 13.c5!?
This had been seen in Ninh Ngo (no Fide) - Minh Hoang Pham (2479), Hanoi 1995, which continued 13...Rfd8 14.Bd2 Qc7 15.Bf4 Be6 16.Qc2, with an equal game, according to the engines (but 0-1, 59 moves).
13...d5!?
The engines reckon this is an improvement on that game.
14.e5 Ne8 15.f4 Rb8 16.b3 f6 17.Bd4?!
The engines give 17.Bg4!? Bxg4 18.Qxg4 Nc7 19.f5 with attacking chances, although they prefer Black.
17...Qc7?!
The engines reckon 17...fxe5 18.fxe5 Rxf1+ 19.Qxf1 Qd2 is very good for Black.
18.Bg4?
Too late! Instead 18.exf6 Bxf6 19.Qd2 leaves White only slightly worse, according to the engines.
18...fxe5 19.fxe5?!
Probably better is 19.Bxd7 Qxd7 20.Bxe5.
19...Rxf1+ 20.Kxf1 Rb4!?
The engines agree this is best.
21.Rc1 Qc8
Even stronger seems to be 21...Bxe5!? 22.Bxe5 Qxe5, although the engines are not sure how to meet 23.Bxd7. One line runs 23...Nf6 24.Qd2!? Rf4+ 25.Kg1 Nxd7, after which Black is a pawn up, has the better coordinated pieces and a pair of passed pawns. Trying to hold on to the extra piece with, for example, 24.Bh3 runs into 24...Rf4+ 25.Kg1 Qe3+ 26.Kh1 Ne4.
22.Bf3 Bh6!? 23.Rc3 Ng7 24.a3 Rb8
Sacing the exchange with 24...Rxd4!? 25.Qxd4 Nf5 is also tempting, but the engines disagree as to whether it is better than the text.
25.Nb2?
The engines suggest making the king safer with 25.Kg1, or opposing Black's dark-square bishop with 25.Be3, or advancing on the queenside with 25.b4.
25...Qa6+ 26.Nd3 Nf5 27.Bf2
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| How should Black proceed? |
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27...d4?!
Simply taking the a3 pawn is good, but the engines also like 27...Ne3+ 28.Bxe3 Bxe3.
28.Rc4 Ne3+ 29.Bxe3 Bxe3 30.Ra4 Qb7 31.Rb4 Qc7 32.Rxb8+ Qxb8
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| Black has the bishop-pair and is slightly better, according to the engines, but White has queenside play |
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33.b4 Qf8 34.Ke2
The engines suggest first playing 34.Qb3+, meeting 34...Kg7 with 35.Ke2.
34...Qf7 35.Qc2 g5?!
Black should slow White's queenside play with 35...a6, according to the engines.
36.a4?!
This may be too slow. Instead 36.b5! cxb5 37.c6 gives complete equality, according to the engines.
36...a6?!
The engines like 36...g4 37.Be4 Qh5, and if 38.b5 then 38...Bf5!?
37.b5 axb5 38.a5?
White has complete equality after 38.axb5, according to the engines.
38...g4 39.Be4 Be6?!
Best may be 39...Bc8!?, and if 40.Bxc6 then 40...b4, eg 41.Be4 Ba6 42.Ke1 (Black's threats included 42...Qf2+) b3 43.Qb2 Qc4 etc. Instead White should probably play the immediate 40.Ke1, although Black seems to remain on top in a sharp position.
40.a6 Bb3 41.Qb1?!
The engines reckon 41.Qb2 maintains equal chances.
41...Bc4
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| White to play and lose |
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42.a7??
This allows mate in two.
This allows mate in two.
White had to play 42.Ke1, when the engines agree the best reply is 42...e6, but their evaluation of the position fluctuates wildly, albeit coming to give Black the upper hand.
42...Qf2+ 0-1
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