Kidlington U2000 Round Three

AFTER taking a halfpoint bye in round two, I was upfloated.

Spanton (1929) - Matthew Stewart (1694)

Sicilian Bb5(+)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.0-0 Nc6 6.c3 Nf6

Stockfish17.1 marginally prefers 6...d5!?, when the main line in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database runs 7.exd5 Qxd5 8.d4 e6 9.Be3 cxd4 10.Nxd4 Nf6, with what Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 agree is an equal position.

After 6...Nf6, how should White proceed?

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7.Qe2

Most popular in Mega26 is 7.Re1, while the engines like the gambit move 7.d4!?, eg 7...Nxe4 8.d5 Ne5 9.Re1 Nxf3+ 10.Qxf3 Nf6, after which they reckon White has at least enough for a pawn.

7...g6

The engines prefer 7...e6 or 7...e5!?

8.d4 cxd4 9.cxd4 Bg7 10.Nc3 0-0

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

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White's classical centre gives a slight edge, according to the engines.

11.Rd1 e6

The engines suggest 11...d5!? 12.e5 Ne8.

12.Bf4!?

How should Black respond?

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12...Nh5!?

This comes to be Stockfish17.1's top choice, at least for a while, but the engines come to more-or-less settle on 12...h6!? or 12...Rad8, eg 12...h6!? 13.Nb5 a6!? 14.Nxd6!? Nh5 15.Qe3 g5 16.Be5 f6 17.Bg3 Nxg3 18.Nc4 (threatening a fork with Nb6) Nxe4!? 19.Qe4 Rad8, a long and complicated line that they reckon ends in equality.

But note that 12...Nxd4?? fails to 13.Rxd4.

13.Be3 a6?!

The engines suggest 13...Nf6, but then White has got in the move Be3 for free.

14.e5

Threatening to win a piece with 15.g4.

14...f5 15.exf6?!

This throws away most of White's advantage. The engines give 15.Na4 Rad8 16.Bg5 Rb8 17.Nb6 Qc7 18.Nc4, claiming White has a positionally won game.

15...Nxf6 16.d5 Nb4?

Better is 16...exd5 17.Nxd5 Nxd5 18.Rxd5 Ne7, although Black's isolani means White has an edge.

17.dxe6 Qxe6 18.Ng5 Qe7 19.Qc4+ 1-0

MS resigned almost instantly - was he right to do so?

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Black has 19...d5, when best play, according to the engines, runs 20.Bc5!? dxc4 21.Bxe7 (forking rook and knight, as well as capturing the queen) Nd3 22.Bxf8 Bxf8!?, after which Black is the exchange down, but not without chances, and, at least below elite level, I feel most people would play on.