Spanton (1941) - Guido Jansen (2153)
English Symmetrical
1.c4 c5 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.d3 e6 6.Bxc6!?
 |
| A controversial move, for obvious reasons - the idea is to play against Black's hemmed-in light-square bishop |
*****
*****
*****
*****
6...bxc6 7.f4 Ne7 8.Nf3 0-0 9.Qc2?!
Probably a novelty, and probably not a good one. Stockfish17 and Dragon1 like the known 9.e4, or 9.0-0.
9...Nf5 10.e3 d5 11.Kf2?!
The king will not be safe here if Black manages to open the position. The engines suggest 11.Na4 or 11.0-0.
11...d4
The engines like 11...Re8, with ...e5 to come, or the immediate 11...e5!?
12.Ne4?!
12.e4 is necessary, according to the engines.
12...dxe3+ 13.Bxe3 Nxe3 14.Kxe3
 |
| Black to play and gain what the engines reckon is a winning advantage |
*****
*****
*****
*****
14...Bd4+?
Black has the upper hand after 14...Rb8 or 14...Re8, according to the engines, but they give 14...e5!? as winning, eg 15.Nxe5 Re8 16.Kf2 Bh3!? with a strong attack.
15.Ke2?!
I almost certainly should have captured on d4. After 15.Nxd4 cxd4+ 16.Kf2 the white king looks safe, while 15...Qxd4 16.Kd2!? gives White a slight edge, according to the engines.
15...f5!? 16.Ned2 Bg7?!
The engines like 16...e5!?, when 17.Nxe5?! Bxe5 18.fxe5 f4 gives Black a strong attack. Instead, they reckon 17.Nxd4 cxd4!? leaves Black only slightly better.
17.Rae1!?
Leaving room for the king to go to d1 without disconnecting the rooks.
17...Qd6 18.Kd1 Rb8 19.b3 Rb7 20.Ne5 g5!? 21.Ndf3 gxf4?!
This almost certainly weakens Black's king more than it usefully opens lines for Black's pieces.
22.gxf4 a5
22.gxf4 a5
The engines prefer 22...Bd7.
23.a4
White can dispense with this in favour of 23.Rhg1!?, according to the engines.
23...Bd7 24.Rhg1 Be8 25.Rg5 Kh8 26.Qc3!?
Self-pinning, but eyeing the black king and so restricting Black's options.
26...h6 27.Rg3 Bh5 28.Kc2 Rfb8?
Black is more-or-less equal after 28...Bxf3 29.Rxf3 Kh7, according to the engines.
 |
| How should White proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
29.Reg1! Rg8?
Even worse are 29...Rxb3?? 30.Nf7+ Bxf7 31.Qxg7# and 29...Bxf3 30.Rxg7 Rxg7 31.Nf7+ with mate next move. However the engines give relatively best as 29...Rf8 30.Rxg7 Rxg7 31.Rxg7 Kxg7 32.Nd7+ Kg8 33.Nxf8 Qxf8 34.Ne5, although they agree the queen-and-minor-piece ending is winning for White, thanks to Black's numerous pawn-weaknesses and less-safe king.
30.Rh3 Bxf3
 |
| White to play and win |
*****
*****
*****
*****
31.Rxh6+?
This wins the black queen, but not the game. Winning is 31.Nf7+! Kh7 (31...Rxf7?? 32.Rxh6#) 32.Rxg7+! Rxg7 33.Rxh6+ Kg8 34.Nxd6.
31...Bxh6 32.Nf7+ Kh7 33.Nxd6 Rxg1 34.Nxb7
 |
| White has queen, knight and pawn for rook and two bishops, but the vulnerability of the white king means the position is completely equal, according to the engines |
*****
*****
*****
*****
34...Rg2+ 35.Kb1 Rg1+ 36.Kc2
Not 36.Ka2?? Bg7 etc.
36...Bd1+ 37.Kb1?
Correct is 37.Kc1, and if, as in the game, 37...Bxb3+, then 38.Kd2 Bxf4+ 39.Ke2 Bd1+ 40.Kf2 Rh1 41.Qf6 Rxh2+ is completely equal, according to the engines, although tricky for both sides to play. Instead 37...Bxf4+ 38.Kb1 draws because Black no longer has the potential skewer ...Bg7.
37...Bb3+ 38.Kb2 Bg7 39.Kxb3 Bxc3 40.Kxc3 Ra1
Even stronger are 40...Rf1 and 40...e5!?, according to the engines.
41.Nxa5?!
Objectively better may be 41.Nxc5!?, but after 41...Kg6 42.Nxe6 Black gets a passed pawn with 42...Rxa4. White can instead play 42.Kd4, but the engines reckon Black has several winning lines, eg 42...Kf6 43.h4 Rf1 44.Ke3 Rh1 45.Nb3 Rh3+!? 46.Ke2 Rxh4 47.Nxa5 c5 48.Nb3 Rxf4 49.Nxc5 e5!? 50.a5 Rh4 51.Nd7+ Ke6 52.Nc5+ Ke7 53.Ke3 Rh2 54.Nb7 Ra2 55.Kf3 Rb2 56.a6 Ra2 57.Nc5 Ra5 etc - a long line, but Black is winning fairly comfortably throughout, according to the engines.
41...Rxa4
The engines show 41...e5! is much stronger.
42.Nb3?
Better is 42.Nb7, with the same idea of attacking c5 while preventing ...Ra5.
42...Ra2?
Winning is 42...Ra3 43.Kb2 Rxb3+! 44.Kxb3 Kg6 45.Ka4 Kh5 46.h3 e5!
43.Nxc5 Re2 44.Kd4 Kg6 45.Nd7
An only-move, but easy enough to find.
45...Rxh2 46.Ne5+ Kf6 47.Nxc6 Rh4 48.Ke3 Rh3+ 49.Ke2
Not 49.Kd4? Rf3.
49...Rh4 50.Ke3 Rh3+ ½–½
No comments:
Post a Comment