Beat Eppler (1781) - Spanton (1937)
Sicilian Closed
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 g6!? 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 Nc6 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 Nf6 7.h3
Preventing 7...Ng4.
7...Nd4 8.Nge2 e5 9.Qd2 Be6
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| How should White proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
10.0-0!?
Stockfish17 and Dragon1 like this, even though it loses a pawn, and 10.f4.
Stockfish17 and Dragon1 like this, even though it loses a pawn, and 10.f4.
10...Bxh3!? 11.Nxd4!
The only good move. Especially bad is 11.Bxh3?? Nf3+ and 12...Nxd2.
11...Bxg2 12.Ne6?!
This seems to be a novelty, and is an improvement on the known 12.Nc6? But even better is 12.Nf5, when 12...gxf5 (12...Bxh1? 13.Nxg7+ is very good for White as 13...Kf8? runs into 14.Bh6) 13.Kxg2 gives White full compensation for a pawn, according to the engines.
12...fxe6 13.Kxg2 0-0
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| How would you assess the middlegame? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
Black is a (doubled) pawn up, but White has the better bishop and the more useful half-open file. The engines reckon Black is slightly better.
14.Bh6?!
White should probably not be offering an exchange of bishops.
14...Qd7!?
The engines prefer exchanging bishops, but the text is also fine as White, to avoid such an exchange, must spend another tempo moving the bishop.
15.Ne2 Rf7 16.f3 Raf8 17.Be3!? b6 18.c4 d5 19.b3 d4 20.Bh6
Much worse is 20.Bf2? or 20.Bg1?, when White's bishop is passive, and Black's bishop will get the h6-c1 diagonal.
20...Bxh6 21.Qxh6 Nh5 22.Rf2 Rf6?
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| 22...Rf6? allows White to equalise |
*****
*****
*****
*****
23.Qg5 Qc7 24.Rh1 Kh8
White threatened 25.Rxh5!
25.g4 Nf4+
Retreating the knight leaves White slightly better (Dragon1) or at least equal (Stockfish17).
26.Nxf4 exf4 27.Rh6!?
Possibly better is 27.e5 R6f7 28.Qxg6, when 28...Qxe5 gives a completely equal position, according to the engines.
27...Kg7 28.Kf1
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| How should Black proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
28...Rh8?
Both 28...Kg8 and 28...R6f7 maintain equality, according to the engines.
29.Rfh2
There seems to be no completely satisfactory answer to this.
29...Qd8??
Best may be 29...Rff8 30.Qh4 Qf7! 31.Rxh7+ Rxh7 32.Qxh7+ Kf6 33.Qh4+ Ke5 (33...Kg7?? 34.e5) 34.Qg5+ Kd6 35.e5+ Kd7 36.Rh6 Kg8, after which material is equal, but the engines reckon White is winning, although it is not clear how White makes progress.
30.Qe5 Kg8 31.g5 Rf7 32.Rxg6+! 1-0
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