Dieter Hilbig (1953) - Spanton (1922)
Giuoco Piano
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 a6 6.Bg5!?
This natural-looking continuation is only seventh-most popular in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database, scoring a below-par 47%.
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| How should Black respond? |
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6...h6
This is commonest in Mega25. Stockfish17 and Dragon1 like it, along with 6...d6.
7.Bh4 Ba7!?
A normal idea in the Giuoco Piano, the point being to stop White at some point playing either d4 or b4 with tempo.
8.Nbd2 d6 9.Bb3 Be6!?
The engines reckon Black is slightly better after 9...Qe7, or 9...g5 10.Bg3 Qe7.
10.Bxe6 fxe6 11.Qb3 Qd7?!
Apparently a novelty - known is 11...Qc8 - while the engines suggest 11...Kd7!?
12.Nf1?!
The engines reckon 12.Bxf6!? gxf6 13.Qxb7 gives White at least the upper hand.
12...0-0
Black has the upper hand after 12...0-0-0 or 12...g5, according to the engines.
13.Ne3 Nh5 14.Bg3!? Nf4 15.Bxf4 exf4 16.Nc2 Ne5!
This is the top choice of the engines. The idea is that after 17.Nxe5 dxe5 Black's pressure down the d file and along the a7-g1 diagonal is more important than the weakness of the doubled pawns.
17.d4!
This is the best response, according to the engines.
17...Nxf3+ 18.gxf3 Kh7
Black is slightly better after 18...b5!?, according to the engines.
19.Ke2!? Qb5+?!
The engines strongly dislike this, presumably because White's king is less safe than Black's.
20.Qxb5 axb5 21.Rag1 Bb6 22.a3 c5!? 23.Rg4 cxd4 24.Nxd4
After 24.cxd4? Rac8 Black has the upper hand, according to the engines.
24...Bxd4 25.cxd4
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| How would you assess this double-rook-and-pawn ending? |
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Both sides have weaknesses, but White's more-centralised king more-or-less makes up for the temporary inactivity of the white king's rook. The engines marginally prefer Black, but the advantage dissipates as soon as the best line (see next note) is inputted.
25...Rac8
Best, according to the engines, is 25...b4!? 26.axb4 Ra4 27.Rhg1 g5 28.h4 Kg6 29.Kd3 Rxb4.
26.Rd1 Rc2+ 27.Rd2 Rxd2+ 28.Kxd2 g5 29.h4 gxh4!? 30.Rxh4+ Kg6 31.Kc3 Rc8+!? 32.Kb4 Rc2 33.b3 Rxf2?!
Probably better is defending the f4 pawn with 33...e5, or advancing the h pawn, eg 33...h5 34.Rxf4 e5 35.dxe5 dxe5 36.Rf8 h4.
34.Rxf4 Rd2!?
Stockfish17 is OK with this, but Dragon1 much prefers 34...e5 or 34...h5.
35.Kxb5 Rxd4 36.b4 h5 37.Kb6 d5 38.Kxb7 e5?!
The engines suggest 38...Rd3, 38...Rc4 or 38...dxe4 39.fxe4 Rd3.
39.Rf8 dxe4 40.fxe4 Rxe4
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| Rook and two pawns each, but who is better, and by how much? |
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Dragon1 reckons White is winning, but Stockfish17 gives White only a slight edge.
41.b5 h4 42.b6 Kg7?
But they agree Black is lost after this. Correct seems to be 42...Re3, which Stockfish17 at first reckons is equal, but the engine comes to give White a slight edge. Dragon1 at first reckons White is the equivalent of more than a rook ahead, but comes to give White marginally less of an advantage than Stockfish17.
43.Rf3 Rf4 44.Rc3 e4 45.Ka7 Rf3 46.Rc7+ Kf6 47.a4 Ra3 48.Rc4 e3 49.b7 e2 50.b8=Q e1=Q
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| The initiative is what counts in heavy-piece positions with completely open kings, so White is winning |
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51.Qb6+ Qe6!? 52.Rf4+!?
After 52.Rc6 Rxa4+ White is winning, but there are technical difficulties.
52...Ke5?
This makes it too easy.
53.Qd4#
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