Spanton (1982) - Milan Babula (2086)
French Exchange
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Bd6 5.c4 Nf6!?
More popular is 5...c6, but there are 1,482 examples of the text in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database.
6.c5!?
Much more popular is 6.Nc3, but Dragon1 marginally prefers the text, while Stockfish17 fluctuates between the two moves.
6...Be7 7.Nc3 0-0 8.Bd3 b6
This is the prescribed response to White pushing on with the c pawn in the manner of this game, and in this case the move scores a fabulous 71% in Mega25, albeit from 36 games.
9.cxb6 axb6 10.0-0
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| Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position? |
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Thanks to having an isolated queen's pawn, White has an extra pawn island, but the isolani is not much of a weakness. Both sides have a half-open file, but it may be easier for White to exert pressure on the c file than it is for Black to do likewise on the a file. The engines reckon the game is equal.
10...Ba6!? 11.Bf4 c5!? 12.Bxb8!?
The engines dislike this. Dragon1 suggests 12.Ne5 or 12.Bxa6, in each case claiming a slight edge for White; Stockfish17 reckons 12.Bxa6 is equal, but 12.a3 may give a slight edge.
12...Bxd3 13.Qxd3 Rxb8 14.b3 Rc8 15.dxc5!? bxc5 16.Rfd1 d4!? 17.Ne4 Nd5 18.Rac1
The engines suggest 18.Qc4!?
18...f5!? 19.Ng3
19.Ned2!? allows 19....Nc3 with a double-threat to d1 and a2. However the position is not altogether clear, one line running 20.Re1 Nxa2 21.Ra1 Nb4 22.Qc4+ Kh8 23.Ne5 Bf6!? 24.Nf7+ Rxf7 25.Qxf7 Nc2 26.Qe6 Nxe1 27.Rxe1, when the engines reckon White's activity gives decent compensation for a pawn.
19...g6 20.Ne5?!
Almost certainly better is 20.Ne2, with equality, according to the engines.
20...Bf6 21.Nc4?
This loses a pawn. Better is retreating back to f3.
21...Nc3 22.Re1
Not 22.Rd2? Bg5.
22...Nxa2 23.Ra1 Nb4
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| Materially Black is up a protected passed pawn, but is the equivalent of almost a minor piece ahead, according to the engines |
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24.Qf3?? Nc2 25.Ra7 Nxe1 26.Qb7 Be7!? 27.Ne5!?
After 27.Qxe7 Qxe7 28.Rxe7 Rfe8 Black is up the exchange and a passer.
27...Rc7!? 28.Qxc7 Qxc7 29.Rxc7 Bd6 0-1
Hello. After white's move ten, I would be interested to know how you would have felt about playing black against someone with a rating around 100 points lower than your rating. The move 10. ... Ba6 with ... c5 to follow seems natural to me, (my rating has slipped to 1630, having returned to club play in September 2024 following the pandemic, but I am hoping to reverse this trend), I would have felt that the opening had been a success and would have been looking to press for a win.
ReplyDeleteDuring the game I thought ...Ba6 was a little odd as Black is likely to get hanging pawns and so, in general, should be avoiding exchanges. I later discovered that Botvinnik in the same position played ...Bg4 against Tartakower, and that feels more natural to me. Having said that, ...Ba6 is clearly playable, but then most things are against an opponent who blunders material.
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