Spanton (1915) - Sergei V Ivanov (2029)
Spanish Classical Deferred
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Bc5!?
There are 5,384 examples of this move in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database.
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| How should White respond? |
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5.c3
This is second in popularity in Mega26 to 5.0-0, which scores two percentage points better.
5...Nge7!?
This is the main continuation.
6.d4 exd4 7.cxd4 Bb4+ 8.Nc3 d5!?
Immediate castling allows 9.d5.
9.e5 0-0 10.h3!?
This time it is White who has cause not to castle 'automatically'. After 10.0-0 Bg4 Black is building pressure on White's centre, eg Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (2758) - Rudik Makarian (2502), Chess.com Blitz 2022, went 11.Be3?! (this is the main move in Mega26, albeit from a small sample size) f6 12.e6!? Bxe6, when White had nowhere near enough for the sacrificed pawn (0-1, 56 moves). Vachier-Lagrave avoided the natural-looking 12.exf6?! as White cannot avoid having his kingside smashed after 12...Rxf6. Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 reckon White should play the known 11.Qd3, or an apparent-novelty in 11.Bg5!?
10...h6 11.0-0
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| Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position? |
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White has more space in the centre, and a kingside pawn-majority, which could give attacking chances. The half-open c file might also prove useful. Black may be able to generate pressure against d4, and has no major weaknesses. The engines give White a slight edge.
11...Bf5 12.Be3
This is the engines' second choice, behind 12.Ne2!?
12...f6 13.exf6 Rxf6 14.Rc1
The engines much prefer 14.Ne5 or 14.Bb3.
14...Qc8!?
White's central space advantage has been dissolved, and suddenly it is Black who has the better kingside chances, thanks to having more-active pieces on that wing. Note that the same idea with 14...Qd7?! runs into 15.Ne5.
15.Bxc6!?
This is probably best.
15...bxc6 16.Ne5?!
The engines slightly prefer 16.Kh2, meeting 16...Bd6+ with 17.Ne5.
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| How should Black proceed? |
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16...Rb8
The sacrifice 16...Bxh3! is already on as 17.gxh3? Qxh3 gives Black a winning position, according to the engines, eg 18.Qd3 (18.Qg4? Rg6) Bd6 19.Bf4 Qxd3 20.Nxd3 Bxf4 21.Nxf4 Rxf4 leaves Black up two pawns. White should probably play 17.Ne2, but Black has won a good pawn, although Black's queenside weaknesses give White some compensation.
17.Ne2
This rules out ...Bxh3, at least for now.
17...Bd6 18.Qd2 c5 19.Ng3?!
The engines reckon White should gain kingside space with 19.f4 or 19.g4.
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| How should Black proceed? |
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19...Bh7?
This turns a large Black advantage into a large White one. Both 19...c4 and 19...Rb5!? give equal chances, according to the engines, but again it was good to capture on h3. After 19...Bxh3! 20.gxh3?! Qxh3 Black has a huge threat in 21...Nf5. White's best, according to the engines, is 21.Rfe1, but Black can still play 21...Nf5, meeting 22.Nxf5 with 22...Qxf5!? (22...Rxf5 is also good), eg 23.Qd3 Qh5 24.Qd1!? Qh3 25.Qg4 Qxg4+ 26.Nxg4 Rg6 27.f3 cxd4! 28.Bxd4 h5. Once again it is better for White not to accept the sacrifice at h3, but then Black is clearly better.
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| What should White play? |
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20.Nh5?
After 20.Ng4 White is winning a pawn, eg 21...Re6 (this is better than 21...Rf8, according to the engines) 22.dxc5 Bxg3 23.fxg3.
20...Rf5 21.g4?
The sacrificial combination 21.Nxg7!? Kxg7 22.Bxh6+ gains two pawns and an attack, for a bishop, with equal chances, according to Dragon1, although Stockfish17.1 reckons 22...Kh8 gives Black an edge.
21...Rxh5!
Instead it is Black who successfully sacrifices.
22.gxh5 Qxh3
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| How would you assess this imbalanced middlegame? |
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Black has a pawn and the bishop-pair for the exchange. Materially, that is about equal, but Black also has an attack, and much the safer king, and so is the equivalent of more than a minor piece ahead, according to the engines.
23.Bf4!?
The engines agree this is the best defence.
23...cxd4 24.Qxd4
Perhaps 24.f3 is a little better, but Black can build up with 24...Rf8, or snaffle another pawn with 24...Qxh5.
24...c5
Even stronger is getting the black rook more into play, with either 24...Rb4 or 24...Rf8.
25.Rxc5?!
Offering back the exchange, but the queen should probably just retreat.
25...Be4 26.f3 Rxb2!?
Spectacular, but unnecessary. The engines prefer 26...Nf5, and 26...Bxc5 27.Qxc5 Rxb2.
27.Qxb2 Bxc5+ 28.Rf2 Bxf3 29.Nxf3 Qxf3 30.Kf1 Qxf2+ 31.Qxf2 Bxf2 32.Kxf2
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| How would you assess this minor-piece ending? |
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Black's two-pawn advantage is the equivalent of being up more than a rook, according to the engines.
32...Kf7 33.Ke3 Nc6 34.a3 Kf6 35.Kd3 Kf5 36.Bd6 g6!? 37.hxg6 Kxg6 38.Ke3 Kf5 39.Bf8 h5 40.Bh6 Kg4 41.Kf2 h4 42.Bf8 Ne5 43.Bd6 Nc4 44.Be7 d4 45.a4 d3 46.Bb4 h3 47.a5 d2 0-1
Defeat ended an 11-game unbeaten streak in which I scored +5=6-0, performing about 150 elo above my average rating in those games of 1919.
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