Cap Negret Round Five

FACED a Belgian Fide master on a live board.

Johan Goormachtigh (2188) - Spanton (1896)

QGD Ragozin

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bf4!? 0-0 7.e3 Bf5

Our game from the same tournament last year went 7...c6 8.Bd3 Nbd7 9.0-0 Re8 10.Qc2, with a slight edge for White, according to Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 (½–½, 59 moves).

8.Qb3 c5!? 9.dxc5 Qa5 10.Be2

The engines reckon White is at least slightly better after 10.a3 or 10.Nd4.

10...Nd7 11.0-0

The engines still prefer a3, or Bd6.

Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position?

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Black has an IQP and is a pawn down, but that pawn-deficit is about to be erased with tempo, driving the white queen to the back rank. The engines prefer Black.

11...Nxc5 12.Qd1 Rfd8?!
Shant Sargsyan (2594) - Alan Pichot (2630), Abu Dhabi Online Blitz, went 12...Bxc3 13.bxc3 Nce4, when Black had a slight edge (Dragon1), although Stockfish17.1 is less enthusiastic about Black's position (0-1, 45 moves).

13.Nd4

Even stronger, according to the engines, is the immediate 13.Nb5.

13...Bg6?

Black should probably play 13...Bxc3, although the engines reckon 14.Nxf5 Bxb2 15.Rb1 Qc3 16.Bf3 gives White more than enough for a pawn.

14.Ncb5 Ne6?

14...Na6 defends the sensitive c7 square, but White is positionally winning according to the engines, eg 15.a3 Be7 16.b4 Qb6 17.Rc1 Rac8 18.Qb3, although the game is far from over.

15.Nxe6 fxe6 16.Bc7 Qa6 17.Nd4!? b5 18.Bxb5 Qb7 19.Bxd8 Rxd8 20.Qa4 Bd6 21.Nxe6

The flurry of tactics is complete, and White has emerged up the exchange and two pawns

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21...Rb8 22.Bc6!?

Simpler is 22.Nd4, but the text is also good, and may even be better (the engines are unsure).

22...Qxb2 23.Qd4 Qc2!?

This loses another pawn, but with queens off the board Black's position is hopeless.

24.Bxd5 Qf5 25.Nf4+ Kh8 26.Be6 Qe5 27.Qxe5 Bxe5 28.Nxg6+ hxg6 1-0