Ran Shabtai (1996) - Spanton (1913)
QGD Normal Position
1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 c5 4.e3 Nf6 5.Nf3 Nc6
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| The game started as an English, became a Tarrasch Defence to the Queen's Gambit, and has now reached the Normal Position of the Queen's Gambit Declined, albeit the variation has not been the normal continuation in the QGD for well over a century |
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6.cxd5
This is second in popularity to 6.a3.
This is second in popularity to 6.a3.
6...exd5 7.Be2 Bf5!?
A rare continuation. Most popular in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database is 7...Be7, while Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 recommend 7...cxd4 8.Nxd4, and either 8...Bb4 or 8...Bd6, although Dragon1 comes to prefer 7...c4!?
8.0-0 Rc8 9.dxc5 Bxc5 10.Nb5!? 0-0
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| Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position? |
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The game has produced a fairly typical IQP position, with equal chances, according to the engines.
11.b3 Qe7 12.Bb2 Rfd8 13.Rc1 Bb6
RS criticised this after the game, but the engines are fine with it.
14.Ba3 Qd7?
This is the real mistake. Instead 14...Nb4!? is good, the point being the knight can always be supported by ...a5, since an exchange on b4 would leave a2 weak.
15.Nd6 Rc7 16.Nxf5
Even stronger is 16.Nxb7! Rxb7 17.Bb5 with Ne5 to come.
16...Qxf5 17.Bc5
The engines prefer 17.Bd3 or 17.Bb2.
17...Bxc5 18.Rxc5 Rdc8 19.Bd3 Qd7 20.Qb1 g6 21.Rfc1
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| How should Black proceed? |
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21...d4?
Black is fine after, for example, 21..Nb4.
22.Nxd4
Not 22.exd4? Nxd4 23.Rxc7 Nxf3+ etc.
22...Nxd4 23.exd4 b6
The engines suggest 23...Ne8!?
24.Rxc7 Rxc7 25.Rxc7 Qxc7 26.Qe1!
The engines agree this is better than the obvious 26.Bb2.
26...Ng4 27.g3 Qd7 28.Qe4 Nf6 29.Qf4 Nd5 30.Qe5 Nb4 31.Bb5 Qd8 32.a3!? Nc2?
Better is 32...Nd5, but Black has no compensation for being down a passed pawn.
33.d5 Nxa3 34.Bc6
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| The knight is out of play, and there is nothing to stop the d pawn queening |
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34...Nc2
Marginally better may be 34...Qc8.
35.Qc3 Na3 36.b4 Qe7 37.Qxa3 a5 38.Qd3 Qd6
Either capture on b4 is met by 39.d6.
39.bxa5 bxa5 40.Qb5 Qa3 41.Kg2 h5 42.Qb8+ Kh7 43.Qc7 Kg7 44.d6 h4 45.d7 h3+ 46.Kxh3 Qd3 47.Kg1 1-0
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