Jaroslav Lepík (1876) - Spanton (1982)
London System
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bf4 Bd6 4.Ne5!?
There are 134 examples of this move in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database, and it scores 56%, which is much better than 4.Bxd6's 42%, although trailing 4.Bg3's 57% and especially 4.e3's 61%.
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| How should Black respond? |
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4...f6
This is most popular in Mega25, and, given enough time, becomes Dragon1's top choice, but Stockfish17 marginally prefers 4...Ne7.
5.Nd3 Nc6 6.e3?!
All seven games to reach the position in Mega25 feature this move, but the engines strongly favour 6.Bxd6.
6...Qe7?!
This may be a novelty, and probably not a good one.
Kayden Troff (2490) - David Antón Guijarro (2665), Chess.com Blitz 2024, went 6...Nge7 7.Bxd6 Qxd6 8.Nd2!? e5 9.c3 Bf5, with equality, according to the engines (½–½, 62 moves).
The engines suggest 6...e5!, which also seems to be a novelty, and this time a good one. I tried, but failed, to make the move work during the game. However the engines show that after 7.dxe5 fxe5 the white bishop has to retreat as 8.Nxe5?? Bxe5 9.Bxe5 Nxe5 10.Qh5+ loses to the simple 10...Nf7 (or 10...Ng6). However the retreat 8.Bg3 leaves Black with the centre.
7.Bxd6!?
The engines agree this is best.
7...cxd6!? 8.Nc3
Now ...e5 is prevented for the foreseeable future.
8...f5 9.Be2
The engines suggest 9.g4!? or the immediate 9.Nf4.
9...Nf6 10.Nf4 0-0 11.0-0
JL offered a draw.
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| How would you assess the position? |
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Black has a bad bishop, and White has a well-posted knight at f4. But Black has a preponderance of pawns on the centre two files, more kingside space and a slight lead in development. The engines reckon Black is slightly better.
11...Ne4?!
But they strongly dislike this, preferring 11...Kh8 or 11...Bd7.
12.Bb5?
However, after this, Black gets on top - on the queenside, rather than what might have seemed the more promising kingside.
The engines give 12.Nxe4 dxe4 (they reckon White has the upper hand after 12...fxe4 13.f3!?) 13.d5!? Ne5 14.dxe6 Bxe6 15.Qd4, when the most significant feature of the position is probably Black's backward d pawn on a half-open file.
12...Nxc3 13.bxc3 Na5!
The c4 square will make a great outpost.
14.a4!?
This is the engines' top choice.
14...Bd7 15.c4!?
Stockfish17 fluctuates between this and 15.f3, perhaps on the basis that the pawn is doomed anyway in the long run?
15...Nxc4
Not 15...dxc4? 16.Bxd7 Qxd7 17.d5 e5 18.Ne5, with good compensation for a pawn.
16.Bxc4 dxc4 17.d5?!
This thrust is no longer good.
The engines suggest 17.a5!?, effectively isolating the black c pawn as Black does not want to make the bishop really bad by playing ...d5.
17...e5 18.Ne2 f4!? 19.exf4 exf4 20.Nd4 Qf7
Probably not 20...f3?! 21.Nxf3 Bg4 as both 22.Re1 and 22.Ra3!? leave Black with little or no advantage. However the engines prefer moving either rook to the e file.
21.Qf3
After 21.Nf3? Black has several strong moves, including 21...Qg6 and 21...Rac8.
21...Rfe8 22.Rfb1 Rab8 23.Rb4
The engines suggest taking care of White's potential back-rank problems with 23.h3, or playing 23.a5.
23...Re5 24.Rxc4
After pressing the clock, JL offered a draw.
24...Qxd5 25.Qxd5+ Rxd5
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| How should White proceed? |
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26.c3?
This may look like a solid stabilising move, but it is a serious mistake. Instead 26.Rc7 gives good drawing chances, although Dragon1 reckons Black still has an edge after 26...Bg4 (Stockfish17 disagrees).
26...Rc5
Simple and strong.
After ...
27.Rxc5 dxc5
... Black no longer has an isolani, and the the knight is expelled from its central post.
... Black no longer has an isolani, and the the knight is expelled from its central post.
28.Ne2
Black is also winning after 28.Nb5, according to the engines.
28...g5 29.Rd1?
This speeds the end. Following the game, JL suggested the better 29.f3, and after 29...Re8 developing the king with 30.Kf2. However, Black remains a pawn up and with the better minor piece for cooperating with a rook.
29...Bxa4! 30.Rd5 Re8 0-1
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