| Bo. | 46 | England - 5 | Rtg | - | 28 | England - 4 | Rtg | 0 : 0 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17.1 |
| 1897 | - |
| 2117 | |||||||
| 17.2 | CM |
| 1861 | - |
| 2060 | ||||||
| 17.3 |
| 1908 | - |
| 1990 | |||||||
| 17.4 |
| 1859 | - |
| 1986 |
Spanton (1908) - David Bray (1990)
Maróczy Bind
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 Nc6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Bb4 7.Nxc6 Bxc6 8.Bd3
 |
| This position occurs 1,799 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database |
*****
*****
*****
*****
8...e5 9.0-0 0-0
 |
| With both sides castling fairly early, how would you assess the position? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
White has set up a Maróczy Bind, but capturing on c6, at a time when Black could reply ...bxc6, means Black is better-placed than usual to break the bind with ...d5. Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 reckon the game is equal.
10.Be3 d6
This is the main move, and was Kasparov's choice in a 1994 rapid loss to Kramnik. In his notes to the game, Kasparov gave the text a question mark, which almost certainly has more to do with the result than with the objective merits of the move. Kasparov recommended 10...Bxc3!? 11.bxc3 d6, claiming equality.
The break 10...d5!? has been tried, but after 11.exd5 (or 11.cxd5) Black is obliged to play 11...Bxc3, when 12.bxc3 cxd5 13.cxd5 (or 13.exd5) Nxd5 is not clear, but the engines give the apparent-novelty 14.Qc2!?, with chances for an advantage, eg 14...h6?! 15.Bc5 Re8 16.Rad1! is very good for White. Instead, 14...Nxe3!? 15.Bxh7+ Kh8 16.fxe3 drops a pawn, but Black gets counterplay, one line running 16...Qg5 17.Be4!? (17.Rae1? f5) Qxe3+ 18.Kh1 Rb8 19.Bd5!?, after which Black has restored material equality, and has fewer pawn islands, but the less-safe king. Stockfish17.1 calls the chances equal, although Dragon1 favours White.
11.h3
This is the commonest move in Mega26. Kramnik played 11.Na4!?, but that allowed 11...d5!?, with apparently equal chances.
11...Bxc3!?
This also equalises, according to the engines.
12.bxc3
 |
| How should Black proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
12...c5!?
This is Dragon1's second choice, but both engines slightly prefer 13...Be6. After the text, Black has closed the centre, making White's light-square bishop very bad, and has good prospects of winning the c4 pawn. But the d pawn is backward on a half-open file, and White gets dynamic kingside chances.
13.f4 Nd7!?
This was played in three of the four games to reach the position in Mega26. The other game saw 13...Qe7.
14.f5
A 2647 played 14.Rb1!? in a blitz game, but the engines reckon Black was better after 14...exf4 15.Bxf4 Ne5, although Black, rated 2193, went on to lose.
14...f6 15.g4 Qe7 16.Qd2 Ba6 17.h4
The engines calculate White is better after 17.Rf2, 17.Rf3 or 17.a4!?
17...Nb6 18.g5
The c4 pawn can hardly be saved (18.Qe2 Qe7), but better compensation is to be had with 18.Rad1 or 18.Rf2, according to the engines, eg 18.Rad1 Bxc4 19.Bxc4+ Nxc4 20.Qe2 Nxe3 21.Qxe3, after which Black will have great difficulty mobilising the extra (backward) pawn, or 18.Rf2 Bxc4 19.g5 Bxd3 20.Qxd3 d5 21.Kh2, when the engines reckon Black has an edge, but White has dangerous kingside chances.
18...Nxc4 19.Bxc4+ Bxc4 20.Rf3 Kh8 21.Rg3
 |
| Black has to be careful, eg 21...Rg8 22.g6 h6? (22...Qb7 is better) allows 23.Bxh6! |
*****
*****
*****
*****
21...Rad8
The engines suggest 21...Qb7 or 21...d5!?, eg 21...d5!? 22.exd5 fxg5!? 23.Rxg5!? Rad8 24.d6!? Rxd6!? 25.Bxc5 Rxd2 26.Bxe7 Rf7!, with much the better game for Black, but there are many alternatives along the way.
22.g6
The engines fluctuate between several moves, but come to more-or-less settle on 22.h5!? or 22.Kh2.
22...d5
Not 22...h6? 23.Bxh6!, when 23...gxh6? loses to 24.Qxh6+ Kg8 25.g7 etc, but even stronger than the text may be the engines' 22...Qb7!?
23.Qd1! Kg8?
Black should play 23...dxe4 or 23...d4, the point being to meet 24.Qh5 with 24...Bg8.
24.gxh7+?
Both 24.Qh5 and 24.Kh1 are stronger, eg 24.Qh5 h6 25.Kh1 (25.Bxh6!? Be2! 26.Qxe2 gxh6 is not so clear, but probably still winning for White) d4 26.Bxh6!, when 26...Be2!? fails to 27.Qxe2 gxh6 28.g7 Rf7 29.Qh5 Rxg7 30.Rag1 (the reason for playing 25.Kh1).
24...Kh8
 |
| How should White proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
25.Kh2
Best may be 25.Qg4, one line running 25...Rf7 26.Bc1!? Kxh7 27.h5 Rh8 28.h6 Kg8 29.Rb1, with a continuing attack, but the position is complicated, and the engines have difficulty agreeing on anything.
25...d4 26.cxd4?
But they do agree that here White had to play 26.Bc1!?
26...exd4 27.Bf4 Qxe4 28.Qg4 Qe2+ 29.Qxe2 Bxe2
 |
| With queens gone, so are White's mating chances, leaving Black with an advantage worth more than a rook, according to the engines |
*****
*****
*****
*****
30.Rag1 Rf7 31.h5!? Bxh5 32.Rc1 Rc8 33.Rb3 c4 34.Kg3!? Kxh7 35.Rb2 g5!? 36.fxg6+ Kxg6 37.Rd2 Rd7 38.Be3 d3 39.Rc3 Be2
 |
| Black's passed duo is temporarily blockaded, and there are opposite-colour bishops, but that is not enough to hold against three extra pawns |
*****
*****
*****
*****
40.Rb2 Kf5 41.Rb5+ Ke4 42.Bd2 Kd4 43.Ra3 Rc6??
 |
| White to play and win |
*****
*****
*****
*****
44.Kf4!?
Black's king is trapped in the middle of the board, whereas many moves. instead of 43...Rc6??, would have won, including either rook to the g file.
44...Rc5
Or 44...c3 45.Ra4+ Rc4 46.Be3#.
45.Be3+ Kd5 46.Rxc5+ Ke6 47.Bd2 1-0
Team Result
Freeman = Orton
Stokes 0-1 Hewson
Spanton 1-0 Bray
Marshall 0-1 Hymer
England 5 1.5-2.5 England 4
No comments:
Post a Comment