| Bo. | 31 | Denmark - 2 | Rtg | - | 46 | England - 5 | Rtg | 0 : 0 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19.1 |
| 2070 | - |
| 1897 | |||||||
| 19.2 |
| 1967 | - | CM |
| 1861 | ||||||
| 19.3 |
| 1982 | - |
| 1908 | |||||||
| 19.4 |
| 1945 | - |
| 1859 |
Steffen Cordes (1982) - Spanton (1908)
Sicilian Accelerated Dragon
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nc6 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 0-0 8.Bb3
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| Via a minor transposition at the start, the game has reached what is probably the main tabiya of the Accelerated Dragon in the Sicilian, with 15,502 examples of the position in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database |
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8...d5!?
The main move is 8...d6, transposing into a more-regular Dragon, with a position occurring 7,079 times in Mega26. For many years the main try to keep the game in independent Accelerated lines was 8...a5. Other tries include 8...Re8, 8...Ng4!? and 8...Qa5. The text is Black's thematic move in the Accelerated Dragon, but it was thought to be impossible here as it appears to just lose a pawn. However, the move goes back to at least 1960, and Alexei Shirov gave it a spin in 2013, but it perhaps only started being taken seriously when Boris Gelfand started playing it with regularity 10 years ago.
9.exd5 Na5 10.Qf3
SC said afterwards that 8...d5!? had been played against him in a blitz game, and his opponent told him the best continuation, after 9.exd5 Na5, was 10.Qf3. Stockfish17.1 agrees, but Dragon1 prefers 10.Qd2.
10...Nxb3 11.axb3 Bg4 12.Qg3 Bh5!?
This frees the knight to pressurise d5.
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| How should White proceed? |
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13.d6!?
This is the main move in Mega26, and it is also liked by the engines. The point is to give back the pawn, while saddling Black with an isolani on a half-open file.
13...Ng4!?
Offering to make the pawn-sacrifice permanent.
14.0-0!?
After 14.dxe7 Qxe7 the engines give an apparent-novelty in 15.Nd5!?, which could lead to a quick draw after 15...Qe4 16.Nc3 Qe7 17.Nd5 etc.
14...Be5 15.dxe7
Perhaps 15.f4 is better, and then 15...Bxd6 gives equal chances, according to the engines.
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| After the game's 15.dxe7, how should Black proceed? |
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15...Qxe7?!
Almost certainly better is 15...Bxg3 16.exd8=Q Bxh2+ 17.Kh1 Rfxd8, when Black has won back the sacrificed pawn, while retaining the bishop-pair.
16.f4
The engines reckon 16.Nd5 gives White a slight edge.
16...Bg7
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| White has only one move that avoids a lost position |
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17.Rfe1??
The first new move of the game, whereas the known 17.Bf2 is equal, according to the engines, after, for example, 17...Nxf2 18.Qxf2 Rad8 19.Nf3 Bxf3!? 20.Qxf3 Qc5+ 21.Kh1 b5!?, with Black enjoying enough activity to make up for still being a pawn down.
17...Nxe3 0-1
There is no salvation for White, eg 18.Nd5 can be met by 18...Qc5, or the even stronger18...Nxd5!? 19.Rxe7 Bxd4+ etc.
Team Result
Thuesen 1-0 Freeman
Sonderstrup = Stokes
Cordes 0-1 Spanton
Mortensen 0-1 Marshall
Denmark 2 1.5-2.5 England 5
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