Spanton (1938) - Tony Niccoli (2285)
Spanish Exchange
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.Nc3 f6 6.d4 exd4 7.Qxd4 Qxd4 8.Nxd4 Bd7 9.Be3 0-0-0
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| This position occurs 279 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database |
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10.f3
Long castling was played in 222 of those games.
10...Ne7 11.Rd1
Ruling out castling on the queenside - in fact the plan can be to not castle at all.
11...Ng6 12.Kf2!?
Emanuel Lasker often developed his king this way in the Exchange Variation of the Spanish, the idea being the king is well-placed on f2 to later assist an advance of White's pawn-majority. On the other hand, the absence of the king from c1/b1 leaves the white queenside pawns more vulnerable.
12...Ne5 13.Nb3!?
This may be a novelty, and is not liked by Stockfish17.1 or Dragon1. They suggest 13.h4 or 13.b3.
13...b6 14.h3
Preparing f4, without allowing a black piece to land on g4.
14...Nc4 15.Bc1 Bd6 16.f4?!
But, played this early, the move is probably too loosening.
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| How should Black exploit White's last? |
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16...Rde8
Black can seize the initiative with 16...g5!?, when 17.fxg5?! fxg5 gives White an isolani and an exposed king. Better is 17.f5, and the engines suggest 17.Nd4!?, the idea being to meet 17...gxf4 with 18.b3, when 18...Ne5 allows 19.Bxf4, after the engines still much prefer Black, but they reckon even better is 18...Bb4!?, when 19.bxc4 Bxc3 20.Bxf4 equalises the number of pawns, but both 20...Rhe8 and 20...c5 leave Black much better.
17.Rhe1 Bb4 18.Rd3 Re7 19.a3 Bd6 20.Nd2 Bc5+ 21.Kf3 Be6?
Black should swop knights.
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| How can White exploit Black's last? |
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22.Nxc4?
Missing 22.Na4!?, after which Black loses the bishop-pair, and contracts tripled c pawns, as 22...Bd6? is met by 23.Nxb6!
22...Bxc4 23.Rdd1 Rhe8 24.Be3 Bd6
Swopping bishops may be better.
25.Bxb6 Bxa3
25.Bxb6 Bxa3
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| How should White proceed? |
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26.bxa3?
This is possibly the worst of the plausible choices. Best is probably the engines' 26.Bxc7!, when 26...Bxb2 27.Ba5!? more-or-less obliges Black to give up the bishop-pair with 27...Bxc3, after which the engines reckon White is at least slightly better. If Black tries to preserve the dark-square bishop with 27...Ba3?, White has 28.Na4!, with very strong play as Black does not seem to have a good answer to the threat of Nb6+, forking king and light-square bishop, eg 28...Bb5 29.Nb6+ Kb7 30.c4.
26...cxb6
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| Black has lost the bishop-pair, but straightened the queenside pawns, so who stands better? |
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No one, according to the engines.
27.Rd6 Kc7 28.Red1 Bf7 29.R6d4 Be6!? 30.g4 a5 31.Ne2 Rd7!?
The engines reckon an exchange of rooks favours White.
The engines reckon an exchange of rooks favours White.
32.f5!?
The engines prefer 32.Rxd7+ Bxd7, and now 33.f5!?
32...Rxd4 33.Rxd4 Bf7 34.Nf4 b5
Black has a slight edge after 34...g5!? or 34...c5, according to the engines.
35.Nd3 Rd8 36.Ke3 Ba2
Possibly better is 36...Rxd4 37.Kxd4 Kd6, with what the engines agree is complete equality.
37.Nc5 Rd6?
White has at most a slight edge after 37...Rxd4, according to the engines.
38.Rxd6 Kxd6 39.Nb7+ Ke5 40.Nxa5 c5 41.Nb3 Kd6 42.Nd2 Ke5 43.Nf3+ Kd6 44.h4 Bb1 45.Kd3!? b4 46.axb4 cxb4
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| White to play and maintain a winning position |
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47.g5?
The simple 47.Nd2 snuffs out Black's counterplay, and, after 47...Ba2, the time is right to play 48.g5.
47...b3
Exploiting White's self-pin at move 45.
48.Nd4
An only-move.
48...bxc2
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| White to play and draw |
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49.Nxc2?
White holds with 49.Kd2, eg 49...c1=Q+ 50.Kxc1 Bxe4 51.Kd2 Ke5 52.Ne6, or 49...Ke5 50.Ne6.
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| Black to play and win |
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49...Ke5
But not 49...Bxc2+?? 50.Kxc2 Ke5 51.Kd3 Kf4, as 52.gxf6 gxf6 53.Kd4 wins for White, as does 51...fxg5 52.hxg5 Kf4 53.f6.
50.gxf6 gxf6 51.h5 Bxc2+ 52.Kxc2 Kxe4 0-1
TN: "Sorry."
Me: "It was my fault."
Hammersmith won the match 4-1.
My Battersea Season 2025-6
Date Event Colour Rating Opp's Rating Score Season's Perf
16/9/25 CLL W 1936 1952 0 1552
18/9/25 CLL W 1936 1797 = 1675
16/10/25 CLL W 1889 2047 0 1665
23/10/25 CLL B 1889 1823 1 1805
18/11/25 LL W 1891 1980 = 1840
20/11/25 CLL W 1891 1866 1 1911
25/11/25 BCC B 1891 1817 1 1955
9/12/25 LL W 1904 1982 1 2008
16/12/25 LL B 1904 2046 0 1968
18/12/25 CLL B 1904 2066 1 2018
6/1/26 CLL W 1929 2150 = 2066
7/1/26 LL W 1929 1971 = 2058
8/1/26 CLL B 1929 1800? = 2038
13/1/26 LL B 1929 2035 1 2067
27/1/26 LL B 1929 2089 0 2041
29/1/26 CLL B 1929 1882 = 2031
3/2/26 BCC W 1928 1836 1 2043
12/2/26 CDL B 1928 1890 1 2057
25/2/26 LL B 1928 1863 = 2047
26/2/26 CLL B 1928 2015 0 2025
3/3/26 CDL B 1914 1976 1 2043
24/3/26 BCC W 1921 1780 1 2049
26/3/26 CLL B 1921 1942 = 2045
31/3/26 CDL B 1921 2091 0 2030
7/4/26 BCC B 1938 1505* 1 2030
9/4/26 CLL W 1938 2012 = 2029
30/4/26 CLL W 1938 2285 0 2023
CLL: Central London League
LL: London League
BCC: Battersea club championship
CDL: Croydon & District League
I also have a win-by-default in the Central London League
*A win against a 1505 counts as a 1905 performance, so I have excluded this game from calculating my season's performance as it would lower my average despite me winning.
