Salvatore Fazia (1267 ECF/1457 Fide) - Spanton (1940 ECF/1954 Fide)
Scandinavian
1.e4 d5 2.e5!?
This move has a poor reputation, largely, I suspect, because everyone 'knows' White's best move is 2.exd5. However, the text is far from being bad, and has the merit of probably putting blacks on their own resources.
2...c5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.c3 Qc7 5.d4 Bf5
Stockfish17 and Dragon1 do not like this, preferring 5...Bg4 or 5...cxd4.
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| How should White proceed? |
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6.Bf4
The engines reckon White is better after 6.dxc5!? e6 7.b4.
6...e6 7.Nbd2 Nge7 8.Nh4?
The engines give 8.dxc5 Ng6 9.Be3 as equal.
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| What should Black play? |
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8...cxd4
Black is now winning, according to the engines.
9.Rc1
The engines prefer 9.Ndf3 or 9.Nxf5.
9...d3?
This throws away most of Black's advantage, whereas 9...dxc3 10.Rxc3 h6 11.Nxf5 Nxf5 keeps a winning advantage, according to the engines.
10.Nxf5 Nxf5
The engines reckon 10...exf5!? is slightly better.
11.Bxd3 Nxe5!? 12.Bxb5+ Kd8
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| The bishop-pair and Black's loss of castling rights give White more than enough for a pawn, according to the engines |
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13.Nf3
The engines suggest 13.g4!?
13...Bd6 14.Nd4?
Correct is 14.Bxe5 Bxe5, and either 15.0-0 or 15.Bd3, according to the engines.
14...Nxd4 15.cxd4 Qa5+ 16.Bd2
Best, but losing.
16...Qxb5 17.dxe5 Bxe5 18.Rb1?!
Passivity, when two pawns down, does not help.
18...Ke7 19.a4 Qc4 20.Rc1 Qe4+ 21.Qe2 Qxe2+
Possibly even better is 21...Qxg2!?, but there is no need to encourage complications.
22.Kxe2 Rhc8 23.Bc3!?
Keeping rooks on, but allowing more weaknesses.
23...Bxc3 24.bxc3 Rc4 25.a5 Rac8 26.Kd3!? d4 27.Rc2 Rxc3+ 28.Rxc3 dxc3 29.Kc2 Rc5 30.Ra1 Kd6 31.a6!? b5 32.Rd1+ Kc7 33.Rd3 b4 34.Kc3?!
Speeding the end.
34...c2 0-1
The position at move 6 is a tempo ahead of a Caro-Kann line which might run 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Bf5 or Qc7
ReplyDelete5. .. Bg4 would be normal in the Caro position
RdC
That's interesting - I had no idea we were in Caro-Kann territory. 5...Bg4 is the type of move I would normally play, but I remember thinking that I had an improved French in which I could get my light-square bishop outside of the pawn-chain, and I thought that in such cases the bishop normally goes to f5. It's quite clear 5...Bg4 is the better move, not least because then 6.dxc5 would have much less point (although d5 would still hang).
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