Bad Neuenahr Round Two

FACED a Fide master.

Kuno Thiel (2095) - Spanton (1911)

QGD Semi-Tarrasch

1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 e6 3.c4 Nf6 4.Nc3 c5 5.cxd5 cxd4!? 6.Nxd4!?

More popular are 6.Qa4+ and especially 6.Qxd4.

6...exd5!?

After this the game soon transposes into a main tabiya of the pure Tarrasch, whereas Stockfish18 and Dragon1 prefer keeping the game in independent Semi-Tarrasch lines with 6...Nxd5.

7.g3 Nc6 8.Bg2

This position, which occurs 1,817 times in ChessBase's 2026 Maga database, more normally arises from the move-order 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.g3 Nf6 7.Bg2 cxd4 8.Nxd4

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

8...Bc5 9.Nxc6!?

More popular is 9.Nb3, when Black can hold on to the d pawn with 9...Bb4, albeit probably having to give up the bishop-pair, or can offer the d pawn with 9...Bb6!?, eg 10.Nxd5 Be6 11.e4 Bg4 12.f3 Be6 13.Nxb6 Qxb6, with an unclear game.

9...bxc6 10.0-0 0-0

Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

Black has more space in the centre, but Black's extra pawn island, and the vulnerability of the c and d pawns on half-open files, are probably more significant, which is presumably why the engines give White at least the better part of equality.

11.Na4 Bd6

Stockfish18 marginally prefers 11...Bb6!?, which Keres used to draw with Smyslov at the 1956 Candidates; Dragon1 disagrees.

12.Be3 Qe7 13.Qc2!? Bd7 14.Nc5 Rfe8 15.Rfe1

The engines like grabbing the bishop-pair with 15.Nxd7!?

15...Rab8 16.Rac1 Rec8!?

The engines suggest 16...Bg4!?

17.b3 Rb5!? 18.Bd4 Bg4!?

Here the engines prefer 18...Bxc5!? or 18...Be6.

19.e4 dxe4?

Possibly best is 19...Bxc5 20.Bxc5 Qd8, albeit White is on top.

20.Nxe4 Nd5?

Better, but still very good for White, is 20...Nxe4.

21.Nf6+!? 1-0

Premature resignation? Possibly, although after 21...Nxf6 22.Rxe7 Bxe7 the engines assess White's advantage as worth more than a piece.