Miniatures 15

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

Spanton (151 BCF) - Fide Master Michael Franklin (218 BCF)

Barbican (London) Rapid 1989

Sicilian ...a6

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6 3.a4!?

This has been played by grandmasters, and there are 483 examples of the move in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database. But it remains a sideline, and scores a poor 41%.

3...e6 4.Nc3 Qc7 5.Be2 Nf6 6.d4!?

This move is still not in Mega25. Known moves are 6.e5, 6.0-0 and 6.h3.

6...cxd4 7.Nxd4

The game has transposed to a known variation of the Open Sicilian, with 66 examples of the position in Mega25

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7...Bb4 8.Qd3?

This is the commonest continuation in Mega25, but is a mistake. Probably best is 8.0-0, when 8...Bxc3 9.bxc3 Qxc3? is too greedy, eg 10.Ra3 Qa5 11.Nb5!? 0-0 12.Nd6 with more than enough compensation for a pawn, or 9...Nxe4?! 10.Bd3!?, when again White has plenty of compensation. The engines recommend 9...0-0 or 9...d6, claiming White at best has a slight edge.

8...Nxe4!

Black captures the very pawn that White's last move supposedly protected.

9.Bd2?!

Better, according to the engines, is 9.0-0, or even 9.Qxe4!? Bxc3 10.Kf1, but Black is well on top.

9...Nxd2 10.Qxd2 0-0 11.0-0 d5 12.Rad1 Nc6

Even stronger is 12...Bc5!? or 12...Be7!?, according to the engines.

13.Nxc6 bxc6

Better, for a reason that will become apparent, is first 13...Bxc3!

How should White proceed?

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14.Qd4

Missing 14.Nxd5!, after which Black is only slightly better.

14...Bd6 15.h3 e5

As well as being a pawn up, Black has the bishop-pair, and controls the centre.

16.Qh4 Rb8 17.b3 Rb4!?

Piling on the pressure against a queen that does not have many squares available.

18.g3?

This takes away one of the queen's escape squares.

18...h6 19.Qh5 Rf5 0-1

The black queen is trapped, eg 20.Qh4 Be7 21.Qg4 h5.

LESSON: the queen is powerful, but when short of squares it can be vulnerable to the humblest of the enemy's men.