Spanton (1891) - Anthony Agu (1980)
Spanish Classical
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3
More popular are 5.d4 and especially 5.0-0.
5...d6 6.Be3!?
This is quite a sideline - only sixth-most popular in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database.
6...Bb6
Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 reckon capturing gives Black a slight edge.
7.Nbd2 0-0 8.Qe2 Ne7!? 9.Nc4!?
Probably a novelty. Zhanibek Amanaov (2398) - Anton Demchenko (2514), Voronoezh (Russia) 2010, went 9.Ba4!? c6 10.Bb3 Ng6 11.0-0-0!? a5, with at least a slight edge for Black, according to the engines (but ½–½, 35 moves).
9...c6 10.Nxb6 axb6 11.Bc4 b5 12.Bb3 Be6 13.0-0
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| Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position? |
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Black's doubled pawns are not really a weakness, but they make Black's structure less flexible, although in compensation Black has pressure down the a file. White's bishop-pair is not a major factor as it is unlikely to survive long. The engines call the game equal.
13...Bg4!? 14.h3 Bh5?!
But now the bishop-pair could easily be significant. Almost certainly better is 14...Be6, despite the loss of time.
15.g4 Nxg4?
This is bad, but the engines reckon White has the upper hand anyway after 15...Bg6 16.Nh4.
16.hxg4 Bxg4
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| How big is White's advantage? |
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Black has two pawns for a bishop, a pin on the white knight, and hopes of exploiting the exposed state of White's king. But the last two factors are manageable - the pin is easily broken, and it is not easy for Black to get at the white king. The engines reckon White's advantage is worth 2.5 pawns (Dragon1) or a little more (Stockfish17.1).
17.Bg5 Qd7 18.Bxe7!? Qxe7 19.Qe3 Qf6 20.Nh2 Bh5
The engines much prefer 20...Be6 or 20...Bd7.
21.Kh1 Kh8 22.Rg1 h6 23.Rg3 Rg8?
The engines suggest 23...Qf4!?, which I think many humans would regard as tantamount to resigning, but anyway there are other better moves than the text.
24.Rag1?!
Missing the strength of 24.Rh3, when 24...Bg6? can be met by 25.Rxh6+.
24...Kh7 25.Rh3 Bg6 26.Rg4 Rh8 27.Nf3 d5 28.Rgh4 Rae8 29.Nh2 Kg8 30.Nf1 Qe6 31.Ng3 Rf8 32.exd5 cxd5 33.Qf3 Rd8 34.Qe2 Qd6 35.Nf1 Re8 36.Ne3 d4 37.Ng2 Re7 38.Rg3 h5 39.Qf3 Rh6 40.Qd5!?
The engines strongly dislike this, but mainly because they believe an exchange of queens greatly reduces White's advantage, which has slowly grown over the previous dozen moves.
40...Qf6!?
A human response, much to the engines' disgust.
41.Rf3 Qg5 42.cxd4 Kh7
Avoiding lines in which Qd8+ picks up a rook.
43.Re3 Qf6 44.Qf3 Qg5 45.dxe5 Rxe5 46.Rxe5 Qxe5 47.d4 Qe7 48.Qe3 Qd8 49.Rf4 Qd7 50.Qf3 f6 51.Qd5
Threatening, as well as an exchange of queens, 51.Qg8#.
51...Qc8 52.Rf3 h4 53.Rc3 Qe8 54.Qe6
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| Exchanging queens can hardly be avoided any longer |
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54...Qxe6 55.Bxe6 b4 56.Re3 Bc2 57.d5 Kg6 58.d6 Rh8 59.d7 Ba4 60.Rd3 Rd8 61.Nxh4+ Kg5 62.Nf3+ Kf4 63.Kg1 Bc6 64.Nh2 Ke5 65.Bh3 f5 66.Nf3+ Kf6 67.Kh2
The engines like 67.Rd6+ Ke7 68.Rxc6!? bxc6 69.Bxf5.
67...Be4 68.Re3 g5 69.Nd2 Bc6 70.Rd3 Rxd7!? 71.Rxd7 Bxd7
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| How would you assess this minor-piece ending? |
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White's knight-for-a-pawn advantage means White is winning comfortably, but Black has counterplay, mainly based on the fact that the strongest piece in a minor-piece ending is the king, and Black's is much better placed than White's.
72.Kg3 Be6 73.b3?
White is still winning, but now the a pawn is chronically weak.
73...f4+ 74.Kh2
An only-move!
74...g4 75.Bf1 Ke5 76.Nc4+ Kd4
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| White to play and keep a winning advantage |
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77.Kg2?
The engines show that only 77.Nd6 and 77.Na5 maintain the win, although the lines are not simple, eg 77.Nd6 Kc3!? 78.Nxb7 Bf5 79.Nc5 Kd4!? 80.Na6 Kc3 81.Be2 g3+!? 82.fxg3 fxg3+ 83.Kxg3 Bb1 84.Bc4 Ba2 85.Nc5, after which White will eventually have to demonstrate how to win with bishop-and-knight against a bare king.
77...Bd5+?
For quite a long time Dragon1 reckons this draws, but comes to agree with Stockfish17.1 that only 77...Kc3 and 77...Bf5 are correct.
78.Kg1 Be4 79.Nd6 Bc6 80.Bb5?
Offering an exchange is wrong.
80...Bf3
And so is declining it, although why is not immediately obvious. After 80...Bxb5 81.Nxb5+ Kc5! 82.Nc7 Kd6! 83.Ne8+ Ke7! 84.Ng7 Kf6 85.Mh5 Kg6 it turns out the knight cannot escape the attentions of the black king.
81.Bd7 Kc3 82.Nc4 g3!?
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| White to play and win |
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83.fxg3?
Natural-looking, but the engines show 83.Bf5 and 83.Be6 are the only winning moves. I find it difficult to understand why swoping pawns is wrong, but the reason may be that by not swoping there will come a moment when Black is obliged to play ...gxf2+, giving White a tempo to activate the king.
83...fxg3 84.Bf5
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| Black to play and draw |
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84...b5!?
The engines reckon just about everything draws, including 84...g2, 84...b6!?, 84...Bd5 and 84...Bc6, but at first they strongly dislike the text. However, Stockfish17.1 comes to call the position after the text completely equal, although Dragon1 reckons White is winning.
85.Ne5 Be2?
The engines agree the bishop should stay on the long light-square diagonal.
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| White to play and win |
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86.Nc6?
86.Kg2 and 86.Bc6 seem to be the only winning moves, eg 86.Kg2 Kb2 87.Nd3+ Kxa2 88.Nc1+ Kb2 89.Nxe2 Kxb3, although again White will have to demonstrate technique with bishop and knight.
86...Bf3 87.Ne5 Bd5 88.Nd3 Bf3 89.Ne1 Be2?
This is wrong for the same reason it was wrong at move 85.
90.Be6?
The engines show winning are 90.Kg2 and any reasonable move keeping the white bishop on the b1-h7 diagonal.
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| Black to play and draw |
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90...Kb2?
Drawing are 90...Bh5!? and 90...Kd2!?
91.Kg2 Kxa2
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| White to play and win |
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92.Nc2?
Both 92.Kxg3 and 92.Nf3 allow White to eventually reach bishop-and-knight-versus-bare-king.
92...Bd1 93.Nxb4+ Ka3 94.Nd3 Bxb3 ½–½
Lewisham 2 won the match 5-3
My Battersea Season 2025-6
Date Event Colour Rating Opp's Rating Score Season's Perf
16/9/25 CLL W 1936 1952 0 1552
18/9/25 CLL W 1936 1797 = 1675
16/10/25 CLL W 1889 2047 0 1665
23/10/25 CLL B 1889 1823 1 1805
18/11/25 LL W 1891 1980 = 1840
CLL: Central London League
LL: London League
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