Spanton (1896) - Paul Stokes (1807)
QGD Exchange
1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3 c6 7.Bd3 Nbd7 8.Qc2 h6!?
Magnus Carlsen has helped make ...h6 a fashionable move in the Exchange Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined.
9.Bh4 0-0
Levon Aronian (2777) - Carlsen (2685), Grenke Classic (Baden-Baden) 2015, went 9...Nh5 10.Bxe7 Qxe7 11.0-0-0!? Nb6 12.Nf3 Bg4 13.Kb1 Nf6 14.Rc1 Nfd7 15.Ka1!? 0-0-0, when White is slightly better, according to Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 (½–½, 64 moves).
10.Nf3 Ne8 11.Bg3 Bd6 12.0-0 Bxg3 13.hxg3
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| With the opening over and the middlegame underway, how would you assess the position? |
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It is largely typical of one arising from the Exchange Variation of the Queen's Gambit, with White ahead on development and ready to start a Minority Attack on the queenside. Perhaps the main difference from such typical positions is White's damaged kingside. Stockfish17.1 reckons the game is equal, but Dragon1 hovers between equality and giving White a slight edge.
13...Nd6 14.b4 Nf6 15.b5
The engines prefer preparing this with 15.a4, as in Jacobo Bolbochán - Carlos Enrique Guimard, Mar del Plata (Argentina) 1943, which continued 15...Be6 16.Rfc1 Rc8 17.Qb1 Qe7 18.b5 c5!? 19.dxc5 Rxc5 20.Nd4 Rfc8, with equal chances, according to the engines (½–½, 44 moves).
15...cxb5 16.Nxb5 Nxb5 17.Bxb5 Be6 18.Rfc1 Rc8 19.Qb3 Qb6 20.Ne5 Rc7 21.Rxc7 Qxc7 22.Bd3 Nd7!?
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| 22...Nd7!? is Stockfish17.1's top choice, but Dragon1 is less keen for quite some time, until eventually agreeing the text is best (I thought it strange to offer to swop off the better of Black's two minor pieces, but the engines presumably take the view that the exchange is worth it to get rid of White's well-placed knight) |
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23.Nxd7 Qxd7 24.Rb1 b6 25.Ba6!? Qc6 26.Qa3 Rd8 27.Rc1 Qd6!?
The engines prefer 27...Qd7.
28.Qa4
After 28.Qxd6 Rxd6 29.Bb5!? Black is slightly better, according to the engines.
28...Bd7 29.Qb3 Bf5 30.Qc3 Be6 31.a4 g6 32.Rb1 Rd7 33.Rc1 Re7 34.a5 bxa5 35.Qxa5 Kg7 36.Be2 Rb7 37.Ra1 Rc7 38.Bf3 Qb6!?
The engines are fine with this move - Stockfish17.1 reckons the game is completely equal, although Dragon1 is less sure - but after queens come off, White has new probing chances to explore.
39.Qxb6 axb6 40.Rb1
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| How should Black proceed? |
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40...Rc6
Black does not need to immediately defend the b pawn, so the engines suggest 40...h5!? or 40...Rc8!? After, for example, 40...h5!? 41.Rxb6 Rc1+ 42.Kh2 Rc2, they reckon the game is completely equal.
41.g4!?
The engines at first rate this move quite highly, but given plenty of time they come to view it as not giving much of an edge at all, although agreeing it is the best try in the position.
41...g5!?
41...Kf6 is preferred by the engines.
42.Rb5 Rd6 43.Kh2!?
The king is headed for g2, which makes the text a complete waste of a tempo, but that is not serious in a position where the opponent has no counterplay.
43...Kf8 44.g3 Ke7 45.Kg2 Kd8 46.Be2 Kc7 47.f4!?
The point of White's manoeuvres - to open a second front.
47...f6 48.f5!? Bd7 49.Rb1
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| White now has more pawns than Black on light squares, but space has been gained, although the engines reckon the position is completely equal |
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49...h5?
Several moves maintain equality, according to the engines, including 49...Rc6 and 49...Ba4. Their point is White cannot gain an advantage going after the h pawn as the b pawn is too fast.
50.Rc1+ Kb7 51.gxh5 Bxf5 52.g4
Even stronger, according to the engines, is 52.Rf1 or 52.Kf3.
52...Bh7 53.Rf1 Kc6 54.Rc1+ Kd7
If 54...Kb7, the engines reckon both 55.Kf2 and 55.Bf3 are winning.
55.Bb5+ Ke6 56.Rc7 Be4+ 57.Kg3 Rd8 58.Rc6+?!
White is still better after this, but 58.Rb7 wins a pawn as 58...Rd6? can be met by 59.h6 Rd8 60.h7! (60.Rxb6+ Ke7! holds, according to the engines) Rh8 61.Bd7+ Kd6 62.Bf5, winning.
58...Rd6?
58...Ke7 and 58...Kf7 seem to give fair drawing chances, although the engines disagree as to which move is better.
59.Rc8 Kf7 60.Rc7+ Kg8 61.Bd7!?
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| Black's rook is imprisoned, but it seems 61.Rb7 is even stronger |
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61...Kh8
The engines much prefer 61...b5!, giving up the b pawn to get counterplay, eg 62.Rb7!? Ra6 63.Rxb5 Ra2 64.Be6+ Kg7 65.Bxd5 Rg2+ 66.Kh3 Re2 67.Rb7+ Kh8 68.Rb8+ Kg7 69.Rg8+ Kh7 70.Rd8 Rxe3+ 71.Kh2 Bc2, at the end of which White has a slight edge (Stockfish17.1) or at best the upper hand (Dragon1), although the line is very hard to visualise from the diagram.
62.Kf2?!
Almost certainly better is 62.Rb7 or 62.Bf5!?
62...Kg8
The engines reckon ...b5 is still the best try.
63.Ke1?!
Again the engines much prefer Rb7 or Bf5.
63...b5!
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| White has just a slight edge after this sacrifice, according to the engines |
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64.Bxb5 Rb6 65.Rc5 Bf3?
The engines reckon Black holds with both 65...Kh7 and 65...Kg7.
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| White to play and win |
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66.Bd7! Rb1+
Or 66...Be4 67.Bc6 Rb1+ 68.Kf2 Rb2+ 69.Kg3 Rg2+ 70.Kh3 Re2 71.Bxd5+ Bxd5 72.Rxd5 Rxe3+ 73.Kg2, after which White is 'only' a pawn up in a rook-and-pawn ending, but White has two passers, and the black pawns are held up by a solitary white one.
67.Kf2 1-0
After 67...Be4 68.Be6+ Kg7 69.Bxd5, White has an even better version of the line given in the previous note.
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