Saturday, 5 July 2025

Bischofsgrün Round Nine

I WAS downfloated.

Achim Heller (2036) - Spanton (1954)
Queen's Gambit Declined
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 Nf6 4.e3!?
More popular are 4.Bg5!?, 4.g3 and especially 4.Nc3, but there are 13,345 examples of the text in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database.
How should Black respond?
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4...Bb4+
Stockfish17 and Dragon1 suggest 4...Be7 or 4...b6.
5.Nbd2!?
This scores 65% in Mega25.
5...0-0 6.a3 Be7 7.b3 c5 8.Bd3 Nc6 9.Bb2 b6 10.0-0
Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position?
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Space is equal, and the pawn-structure almost symmetrical. The white king's bishop is more active than its opposite number, but the white queen's knight less so than its opposite number. The engines reckon the game is equal.
10...Bb7 11.Qe2 Re8 12.Rfd1 Bf8!? 13.Rac1 Rc8
Michael de Verdier (2276) - Sergey Ivanov (2530), Swedish Team Championship 2010, went 13...cxd4 14.exd4 g6 15.c5!? bxc5 16.dxc5 e5 17.Bb5, with a slight edge for White, according to the engines (but 0-1, 57 moves).
14.cxd5 Nxd5?!
Michał Olszewski (2543) - Fabrizio Bellia (2376), Bratto (Italy) 2010, saw 14...exd5 15.Ba6!? Bxa6 16.Qxa6 Qe7 17.Ne5 Nb8!?, with an equal game, according to the engines (but 1-0, 48 moves).
After the text the engines reckon White is winning.
15.dxc5 Bxc5 16.b4 Be7 17.Nc4 Bf6?
The engines reckon Black had to play something like 17...Rf8, 17...Rc7 or 17...a6, but agree White is winning.
18.b5?!
This is enough for a comfortable advantage, but stronger is 18.Bxf6, when Black has three ways to recapture, but all are deeply unpleasant:
A) 18...Qxf6 19.Nd6 Nc3 20.Rxc3 Qxc3 21.Nxb7;
B) 18...Bxf6 19.Bxh7+ and 20.Rxd8;
C) 18...gxf6 19.e4! Nf4 20.Qe3.
18...Nb8?!
Almost certainly better is 18...Na5!?
19.Nfe5
Also still good is Bxf6.
19...Nd7?
19...Qe7, or even 19...Bxe5!?, keeps the game going.
20.Nxf7?!
Even stronger is 20.Bxh7+! (20.Nxd7 is also better than the text) Kxh7 21.Qh5+ Kg8 22.Nxf7 Qe7 23.Ncd6 g6 (otherwise 24.Qh8#) 24.Qxg6+ Kf8, when White has a winning attack, eg 25.Qh6+ Kg8 26.Bxf6 Qxf6 27.Qxf6 N7xf6 28.Nxc8 Rxc8 29.Rxc8+ Bxc8 30.Nd6, with an advantage worth about a rook, according to the engines.
20...Kxf7 21.Nd6+ Kg8??
Easily the worst of three possible king moves. After 21...Kf8 22.Nxc8 Bxb2 23.Qxb2 Bxc8 24.Bxh7 White has the upper hand (Dragon1) or is at least slightly better (Stockfish17).
22.Rxc8!?
Also very strong is 22.Qh5.
22...Bxc8 23.Qh5 Nf8?!
23...h6 is a modest improvement, but 24.Qf7+ Kh8 25.Qxe8+ Qxe8 26.Nxe8 Bxb2 27.Nd6 wins easily enough.
24.Qf7+ Kh8 25.Nxe8 Qe7
Forced - White threatened 26.Qxf8#.
26.Qxe7 Bxe7 27.Nxg7
The game finished:
27...Kg8 28.Nh5 Ng6 29.Bc4 Nc7 30.Nf6+ 1-0

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