Achim Heller (2038) - Spanton (1915)
QGD
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3!?
This somewhat innocuous-looking move could be said to be the continuation of champions in that it has been tried by Steinitz, Alekhine, Tal, Karpov, Kasparov, Anand, Carlsen and other very strong players.
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| The position occurs 20,770 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database |
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4...b6!?
This is fifth-most popular, behind 4...Nbd7, 4...c5, 4...c6 and especially 4...Be7.
5.b3 Bb7
Possible is 5...Bb4+ 6.Nbd2 Bc3!?, but the minor inconvenience caused to White is probably not worth it.
6.Bd3!?
Holding back on developing the queen's bishop, for a reason that will soon become clear.
6...Nbd7 7.0-0 Be7 8.Ba3!?
This is the point. White wants to swop his bad bishop (hemmed in by the white centre pawns) for Black's good bishop, but only after Black has spent a tempo developing the dark-square bishop.
8...0-0
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| With both sides having castled, how would you assess the position? |
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White has two pawns on the fourth rank against Black's one, but Black has a slight lead in development, a lead that will grow after an exchange on e7. After that exchange, White will be left with the technically better bishop, but the pawn-structure is by no means fixed, so it is not possible to say whether that will be a significant factor. Chances are equal, according to Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1.
9.Bxe7
Dragon1, but not Stockfish17.1, prefers 9.Bb2!?
9...Qxe7 10.Ne5
The engines do not like this, preferring development with 10.Nc3 or 10.Nbd2.
10...Nxe5 11.dxe5 Nd7 12.f4 f6 13.exf6 Rxf6
The engines prefer 13...Nxf6.
14.Nd2 Raf8 15.g3?!
This is slow, and weakens the long light-square diagonal. The engines suggest developing the queen to c2, or to e2, either immediately or after 15.Qh5 g6.
15...e5 16.Re1?!
The engines suggest 16.cxd5 exf4 17.Ne4, but reckon Black gets an advantage by sacrificing the exchange: 17...fxg3! 18.Nxf6+ Rxf6, after which the white king is very exposed, eg 19.Qe2 (19.hxg3?? Qxe3+) gxh2+ 20.Kh1 (forced) Bxd5+ 21.e4 Bb7, when Black has three pawns for the exchange.
16...exf4 17.exf4
Even worse is 17.gxf4?, eg 17...dxc4 18.Bxc4+ Kh8 19.Bd3 (covering g6) Rxf4! (other moves also win) 20.exf4 Qc5+ 21.Kf1 Rxf4+.
17...Qc5+ 18.Kg2!?
Now 18...dxc4+ can be answered by 19.Be4.
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| How should Black proceed? |
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18...Rh6?
Black has a large advantage after 18...Rd6, eg 19.Qc2 (this is best, according to the engines) dxc4+ 20.Be4 c3! 21.Nf3 Bxe4 22.Rxe4 Nf6.
19.Qf3?
The engines reckon the game is equal after 19.cxd5.
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| How can Black exploit White's last move? |
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19...Qd4!
A relatively quiet move, but it introduces the threat of 20...Ne5, and the even stronger 20...Nc5.
20.Qe3
Probably best is 20.Rad1, but 20...Nc5 simultaneously attacks d3 and protects b7.
20...dxc4+
Even stronger is 20...Qxe3! 21.Rxe3 d4+ 22.Rf3 Re8, when the engines point out that threats include 23...Re3 and 23...Nc5, as well as simply taking the exchange.
21.Be4 Bxe4+?!
This loses much of Black's advantage. Instead the engines give 21...Qxe3! 22.Rxe3 Re8 23.Rae1 Rhe6 24.bxc4 Nf6 25.Kf3 Nxe4 26.Nxe4, when material is equal, but they reckon Black is winning, eg 26...h6 27.f5!? Rc6! 28.Ke2 Rf8 (28...Rxc4?? 28.Nf6+) 29.Nd2 Rxf5 gains a pawn. White could try 27.h4, but then 27...Rxe4! 28.Rxe4 h5 leaves White hopeless, eg 29.R1e3 Kf7 30.a4 Kf6 with ...Kf5 to come. Another try is 27.g4, covering the f5 square, but the engines give 27...g5!, when there comes 28.f5 Re5 29.a3 Kf7 30.R1e2 (30.a4 Bc6 31.R1e2 a5 32.Re1 R5e7 33.R1e2 Bxa4 wins an important pawn) Bc6 31.Re1 a6 32.R1e2 b5 33.cxb5 axb5 34.h3 Bd5 35.Re1 Rxe4!? 36.Rxe4 c5 37.Re2 c4 38.Re1 Rxe4!? 39.Rxe4 c3 etc.
22.Nxe4 Qxe3 23.Rxe3 cxb3 24.axb3
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| How would you assess this late-middlegame position? |
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Black is a pawn up, and has a 3-1 farside majority, but White's pieces are better coordinated, and it is hard to mobilise the black majority. The engines for quite some time give Black a slight edge, but Stockfish17.1 comes to view the game as equal.
24...a5 25.Rd1 Nf6
Threatening 26...Rxh2+!
26.Nf2?!
The engines prefer exchanging on f6, or allowing Black to exchange on e4 after, for example, 26.h4.
26...Re8 27.Rxe8+ Nxe8 28.Ng4?!
The engines prefer 27.Ne4, preventing 27...Rd6.
28...Rd6 29.Re1
Exchanging rooks makes Black's task easier.
29...Kf8 30.Ne5 Rd2+ 31.Kf3!? Nf6
31...Rxh2? lets White force a draw with 32.Nd7+ Kf7 33.Ne5+ Kf8 34.Nd7+ etc, as 33...Kg8?? loses to 34.Ng4.
32.h3 Nd7!?
Going for a rook-and-pawn ending seems the best way to make progress, despite the well-known drawing potential of such endings.
33.Ke4?!
This is almost certainly the wrong way to enter the ending.
33...Nxe5!?
Also strong is 33...Nc5+ 34.Ke3 Rb2.
34.fxe5
Or 34.Kxe5 Rd3.
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| How would you assess this rook-and-pawn ending? |
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White's passed pawn is probably more of a weakness than an asset, and meanwhile Black has 3-1 on the queenside. The engines reckon Black is roughly the equivalent of a rook up.
34...Ke7 35.h4 Ke6 36.Re3 Rd5 37.Kf4 b5 38.h5 b4 39.g4 Rc5 40.Re1 Rc3 41.Ra1 Rxb3 42.Rxa5 Rc3 43.Ra6+ Ke7 44.Ra7 Ke6 45.Ra6+
AH offered a draw.
45...Kd7 46.h6 Rc4+?
Much better is 46...g6, or even, according to the engines, 46...g5+!? After the latter, play might continue 47.Kxg5 b3 48.Ra7 Rc6, when the only way to stop the b pawn is with 49.Ra1, but then comes 49...Ke6 etc.
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| White to play and draw |
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47.Kg5?
After 47.Kf5 the position is completely equal, according to the engines, eg 47...g6+ 48.Kf6 Rf4+ (only move as White threatens 49.e6+) 49.Kg7 b3 50.Ra1 (not 50.Kxh7?? b2) Rxg4 51.Kxh7 c5 52.Kg7 Rh4 53.h7 c4 54.Kf6! (54.h8=Q? Rxh8 55.Kxh8 c3 wins for Black) b2 55.e6+ Kc7 56.Rb1 c3 57.e7 c2 58.e8=Q cxb1=Q, after which Black is a rook up, but the black king cannot escape checks from the white queen. Black could try 47...gxh6, but 48.Rxh6 draws easily enough, eg 48...b3 49.Rxh7+ Kc6 50.Rh1 b2 51.Rb1 Rb4 52.Kf6 Kd7 53.e6+ Ke8 54.g5 Rf4+ 55.Ke5 Rb4 56.g6 Ke7 57.g7 Rg4 58.Rxb2.
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| Black to play and win |
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47...gxh6+!
The only winning move, whereas 47...g6 transposes to the previous note after 48.Kf6.
48.Rxh6 b3 49.Rxh7+ Ke6
If the white king were on f5 instead of g5, 49...Ke6 would not be possible, and the game would be drawn.
50.Rh3 Rb4 51.Rh1 b2 52.Rb1 c5 53.Kh5
I cannot read my writing here - it is possible 53.Kh6 was played.
53...c4 54.g5 c3 55.g6 Rb7 0-1
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