Miniatures 4

IN this occasional series I am going through my decisive games of 20 moves or fewer.

Spanton (ungraded) - Colin Mackenzie (172 BCF)

Sutton Easter 1989

Stonewall Attack*

1.d4 e6 2.e3 b6 3.f4

Stockfish17 and Dragon1 recommend 3.e4!?, with Dragon1 claiming White is slightly better.

3...Nf6 4.Bd3 Bb7 5.Nf3 c5 6.Nbd2 Qc7 7.c3?!

The engines are happy with this, but one of the points of the Stonewall Attack is be able to recapture on d4 with the e pawn if Black plays ...cxd4. So probably better is 7.0-0, intending to meet 7...cxd4 with 8.exd4, when 8...Qxf4!? is playable but risky.

7...cxd4 8.cxd4 Nd5 9.Nb3

Black threatened ...Nxe3.

9....Bb4+

Continuing to target e3.

10.Kf2 a5 11.Bd2 a4!? 12.Bxb4?! Nxb4

How should White proceed?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

13.Rc1?

Black is only slightly better after 13.Nc1, according to the engines.

13...N8c6

This is enough for a good advantage, but best may be 13...Bxf3!? 14.gxf3, and now 14...N8c6.
14.Na1?!

Almost certainly better is 14.d5.

14...Nxa2 15.Nc2? 0-1

LESSON: success can hardly be hoped for if simple tactical errors proliferate,
*I was much taken at the time with the book How To Think Ahead In Chess, in which Al Horowitz and Fred Reinfeld recommended this opening for White.