Spanton (1913) - Rimandas Šakinis (1757)
Old Indian
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 d6 3.Nc3 c6!?
This is fifth-most popular in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, behind ...Bf5, ...e5, and especially ...g6 and ...Nbd7.
4.e4 Qa5!?
More popular are ...Qc7 (marginally), ...g6, ...Nbd7 and ...e5.
5.Bd3 e5 6.Ne2 Nbd7 7.0-0 Be7 8.a3!? Qc7 9.b4 exd4 10.Nxd4 Ne5 11.Be2!?
Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 agree it is worth spending a tempo to save White's bad bishop.
11...0-0
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| Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position? |
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Whites' extra space gives the upper hand, according to the engines.
12.Bb2 Be6!?
This is Stockfish17.1's second choice, but both engines prefer 12...a5.
13.Nxe6
Stockfish17.1 suggests 13.Qb3!?, but Dragon1 likes the text.
13...fxe6
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| White has gained the bishop-pair, but has strengthened Black's centre and given Black a half-open f file |
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14.Rc1 Nfd7!?
The engines suggest 14...a5 or 14...Kh8!?
15.Qd2 Nb6 16.Nd1 Nbd7!?
The engines agree this is best, albeit reckoning White is still better.
17.f4 Nf7
This is almost certainly better than 17...Ng6?! 18.Bg4 e5 19.Be6+ Kh8, and either 20.f5 or 20.Bxd7 Qxd7 21.f5.
18.Bg4 e5 19.Bxd7!?
This comes to be Stockfish17.1's top choice, but Dragon1 marginally prefers 19.g3!?
19...Qxd7
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| How should White proceed? |
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20.fxe5?
This throws away White's advantage. White is still better after 20.Ne3 or 20.Qc3.
20...Qg4
Also equal is 20...Bg5 21.Ne3.
21.Nf2 Qg5 22.Qxg5 Bxg5 23.Rcd1 Nxe5 24.Bxe5!?
Otherwise Black is better, according to the engines.
24...dxe5 25.Ng4 Rf4!? 26.Rxf4 exf4
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| How would you assess this rook-and-minor-piece ending? |
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White has the open file, and a passed pawn, but Black has fewer pawn islands, and the better piece for cooperating with a rook. Equal chances, according to the engines.
27.Kf2
27.Rd7 Rd8?! 28.Rxb7 is good for White, but the engines reckon Black is fine after 27...a5!?, eg 28.Rxb7 axb4 29.axb4 Bh4!? 30.Kf1 Re8, and if 31.e5, then 31...Ra8!?
27...Rd8?!
The engines suggest 27...a5, or 27...h5!? 28.Ne5 and then 28...a5.
28.Rxd8+ Bxd8
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| How would you assess this bishop-v-knight ending? |
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White's more-active king and the vulnerability of f4 give White at least a slight edge, according to the engines, despite the bishop being better than the knight when there is play on both wings.
29.Kf3 h5?!
Probably the wrong idea. Black should be activating the king, either immediately with 29...Kf7!?, or after first protecting f4 with 29...Bc7. The point, after 29...Kf7!?, is that 30.Kxf4 Bc7+ 31.Kf3 can be met by 31...h5 and 32...Bxh2. However, the engines give 30.Ne5+!? Ke6 31.Nd3 b5! (White threatened 32.Nc5+ as well as 32.Nxf4+), eg 32.Nxf4+ Ke5 33.cxb5 cxb5, after which Black's king is very active.
30.Ne5 g5 31.h3?!
The engines reckon White is winning after 31.Nd7 or 31.Nd3.
31...Bf6?
Again Black should be activating the king, this time with 31...Kg7.
32.Nd7 Bd4 33.h4! Bb2 34.a4 Kf7 35.hxg5 Bc1 36.Ne5+ Kg7 37.b5!?
This may be marginally better than 37.Nd3 Bd2.
37...cxb5 38.axb5!?
This is fine, but White has to take care against Black creating a passed a pawn.
38...Bd2 39.Nd3 Kg6 40.Nxf4+ Kxg5 41.Ne6+ Kf6 42.Nd8 a5!?
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| How should White respond? |
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43.Nxb7?
Black also gets drawing chances after 43.bxa6? bxa6. Correct is gaining a tempo with 43.Ke2, bringing White's king within the queening box of the a pawn (the a pawn is four squares from a1, so the queening box runs from a5-a1-e1-e5-a5).
43...Bb4?
Black had to play 43...a4.
44.c5?
Again White wins by bringing the king within the queening box.
44...a4
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| White to play and draw |
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45.e5+!
The engines reckon 45.b6 also draws, but only if, after 45...a3, White finds the same idea and plays 46.e5+! However, 45.c6? loses trivially to 45...Ke7 etc. Probably also losing is 45.Nd6?! a3 46.b6 a2 47.b7 a1=Q 48.b8=Q, although this may be one of those positions where the engines have one side winning (Black is almost +5.00, according to Stockfish17.1; almost +6.00, according to Dragon1), but they cannot finish it off, eg 48...Qd1+ 49.Kg3 Qg4+ 50.Kf2 Bxc5+ 51.Ke1 Qh4+ 52.Kd2 Qf4+ 53.Kc2 Bxd6 (Black now has queen, bishop and pawn versus queen and two pawns) 54.Qd8+ Kg6 55.Qg8+ Kh6 56.Qd5!? Be5 57.Kb3 Kg5 58.Kc4 Kh4 59.Qd3 Qg4 60.Qd5 Bf4 61.Qd3 Qxg2, finally reaching a position that the Syzygy endgame tablebase can give a definitive verdict on: Black is winning. Naturally, there were lots of plausible alternatives along the way, so 45.Nd6?! may draw, with best play, but it would in practice be very hard for White to do so.
45...Ke7
Or 45...Kxe5 46.c6 Ke6 47.Nd8+ Ke7 48.c7 Kd7 49.b6 Ba5 (not 49...a3? 50.Nc6! a2 51.b7 Kxc7 52.b8=Q+ Kxc6 53.Qa8+ and 54.Qxa2) 50.c8=Q+! Kxc8 51.b7+ Kc7 52.Nc6! Kxb7 53.Nxa5+ Kb6, with a tablebase draw.
46.Nd6 a3 47.Nf5+ Kd8!?
47...Ke6 also draws.
48.Nd4 Bxc5??
48...a2 draws.
49.Nb3??
Winning is 49.Ne6+ followed by 50.Nxc5(+).
49...a2 50.Ke4 Kc7 51.Kd5 Kb6 52.Kc4 h4 53.e6 Be7 54.Na1 Bf6 55.Nc2 Kc7 56.Kd5 Be7 57.Kc4 Kd6 58.Kb3 Kxd6 59.Kxa2 Bc5 60.Ne1 Kf5 61.Kb3 Kg4 62.Kc4 Bf2 63.Nd3 Bb6 64.Ne5+ Kg3 65.Ng6 Bf2 66.Kd5 Kxg2 67.Nxh4 ½–½
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