Spanton (1954) - RR Vasudevan* (1932)
Petrov/French Exchange
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d3!? Nf6 6.d4 d5
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| This position is normally reached two moves quicker via a French Defence move-order, ie 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Nf6 |
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7.Bd3 Be7
More popular is prolonging symmetry with 7...Bd6.
8.0-0 0-0
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| With both sides castling early, how would you assess the position? |
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White has the more-active king's bishop, and is to move in an otherwise symmetrical position. That is enough for a slight edge, according to Dragon1, but Stockfish17 is less sure.
9.Bh5 h6 10.Bh4 Bg4 11.h3 Bh5 12.Re1 Re8 13.Nbd2 Nc6
Breaking the near-symmetry with a move not liked by the engines, which prefer 13...Nbd7.
14.c3 Nh7!?
The engines like this.
15.Bxe7 Rxe7 16.Qc2 Nf8 17.Rxe7 Nxe7 18.Ne5 Bg6!? 19.Nxg6 Nexg6 20.g3!? c6
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| The queenside pawn-structure remains symmetrical, and the kingside is not far from it, but White has the only long-range minor piece, which is probably at least part of the reason why the engines give White a slight edge |
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21.Re1 Qf6 22.Kg8 Rc8!?
A 'mysterious' rook move, at least so it seemed to me during the game, but I suppose the rook might prove useful shadowing the white queen.
23.Nf3 Qd6 24.h4 Nd7 25.Re3
The engines like 25.Bxg6!? fxg6, and then 26.Re3.
25...Kf8 26.Qe2 Ne7 27.Ne5 Nxe5 28.dxe5 Qe6 29.Qh5 Rd8
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| How should White proceed? |
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30.b3?!
This throws away all of White's advantage, according to the engines. They reckon White has the upper hand after 30.Re2, but agree 30.f4? d4 31.cxd4 and either 31...Qxa2 or 31...Rxd4 gives Black at least the upper hand. If 30.Re2 is met by 30...d4, they reckon 31.c4 is good for White.
30...d4 31.Bc4 Qg6
The engines prefer 31...Nd5 or 31...Qf5.
RV offered a draw in my time.
32,Qxg6 Nxg6 33.cxd4 Rxd4 34.h5 Ne7 35.Rd3
RV offered a draw.
35...Rxd3
Not 35...Re4?? 36.Rd8#.
36.Bxd3 Nd5
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| How would you assess this bishop-v-knight ending? |
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White has the better minor piece for dealing with rival pawn-majorities, but Black's majority is 3-2 rather than 4-3 and is on the farside from the kings. Dragon1 gives White a slight edge, but Stockfish17 disagrees.
37.Kf3 Ke7 38.a3 f6?!
Letting White quickly get a 3-2 majority is probably unwise.
39.Ke4 fxe5?!
Conceding space is also strange.
40.Kxe5 Nf6
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| Dragon1 reckons White has a positionally won game; Stockfish17 is not so sure, but gives White the upper hand |
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41.Be2 Nd7+ 42.Kf5 Ne8 43.Bc4 Kd6?
Striving for counterplay is understandable, but it is better to push the queenside pawns, starting with, for example, 43...b5!?, while keeping the king blocking its white counterpart.
44.g4 b5 45.Bg8!?
The engines agree this is best.
45...a5 46.b4?
This makes it easy for Black to gain a passed pawn, and so claim equality. Winning is 46.f4.
46...axb4 47.axb4 c5 48.f4!? cxb4
Also equal is 48...c4.
49.g5
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| How should Black respond? |
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49...hxg5?
Drawing is 49...Ke7 as, after 50.gxh6 gxh6, White cannot make progress.
50.fxg5 Ke7
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| White to play and win |
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51.Ke5
Winning is 51.g6!, the point being that after 51...Nd7 52.h6 gxh6 53.g7 Nf6 54.Bb3 h5 55.Kg5 h4 56.Kxh4 Kd6 57.Kg5 Ke5 58.Kg6 Black is in zugzwang. Alternatively 51...Kd6 52.Bb3 Ke7 53.h6 wins easily for White.
51...Nd7+ 52.Kd5
51...Nd7+ 52.Kd5
Returning to f5 is no better - Black draws comfortably with, among other moves, 52...Kf8 and 52...Nc5.
52...b3 53.Kd4 b2 54.Ba2 Nb6 55.Kc3 Nc4 56.Kb3 Ke6 57.h6 gxh6 58.gxh6 Kf6 59.Kb4 Kg6 60.Kxb5 ½–½
This ended my drawless streak of 30 games.
*Uses a single name and initials rather than a given name and family name.
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