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| Splash of colour |
Israel 2 v England 3
Ido Yad-Shalom (-) - Spanton (2003)
Nimzo-Indian
1.d4 e6 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Bd3 c5 6.Nf3 d5 7.0-0
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| Now both sides have castled, how would you assess this position, which occurs 10,214 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database? |
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Stockfish18 and Dragon1 reckon chances are equal. However, White scores 52% from this position in Mega26, ie four percentage points better than Black
7...Nc6 8.a3
This is easily the commonest continuation, and means we now get a 'proper' Nimzo-Indian in that the game will (probably) become a battle between White's bishop-pair and Black's better structure.
8...Bxc3
Preserving the dark-square bishop with 8...Ba5!? is far from ridiculous, and has been played by top grandmasters. The main line in Mega26 continues 9.cxd5 exd5 10.dxc5, when Black is more-or-less to forced to give up the bishop anyway. After 10...Bxc3 11.bxc3 Bg4, the engines reckon White is slightly better.
9.bxc3 b6!?
The main line runs 9...dxc4 10.Bxc4 Qc7 11.Bd3 e5!?, with equal chances, according to the engines.
10.cxd5 exd5 11.h3!?
This scores 67% in Mega26, albeit from a small sample size, and is liked by Stockfish18. Nevertheless, both engines prefer the mainline 11.Ne5, when 11...Nxe5?! 12.dxe5 gives White the upper hand, according to the engines, wherever the f6 knight goes. The main reply is 11...Qc7, when Dragon1 reckons 12.Nxc6 Qxc6 is equal, but Stockfish18 prefers White.
11...Re8
The engines suggest an apparent-novelty in 11...Na5!?
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| After 11...Re8, how should White proceed? |
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12.Bb5!?
This is the engines' second choice, narrowly behind 12.dxc5, when 12...bxc5 13.c4!? Na5!? 14.cxd5 c4!? 15.Bc2 Qxd5 16.Bb2 saw the bishop-pair start to dominate in Borsilav Ivkov - Stanimir Nikolić, Vrnjačka Banja (Yugoslavia) 1971 (1-0, 41 moves). The engines reckon 13...dxc4!? 14.Bxc4 Na5 is an improvement for Black.
12...Bd7 13.a4 c4!?
This seems to be a novelty, and is liked by the engines, along with another apparent-novelty in 13...Na5!? However, they are also OK with the known 13...Qc7. One point about the text is that it is far from clear if White will be able to get in the move e4, which is the usual counter when Black pushes on with ...c4 in the circumstances of this game.
14.Ba3 Ne4 15.Rc1!? Re6!?
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| What should White play? |
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16.Bxc6
The engines suggest 16.Bxc4!? dxc4 17.d5, but reckon 17...Rg6 18.dxc6 Bxc6 19.Qxd8+ Rxd8 leaves Black at least slightly better.
16...Bxc6 17.Ne5 Qe8 18.Nxc6?!
This saves a5, but gives up a well-posted knight. The engines suggest 18.a5!? bxa5 19.f3 Ng3 20.Re1. but give Black the upper hand. Note that 18.Nxc4?? is a blunder in view of 18...dxc4 19.d5 Bxa4.
18...Qxc6
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| How would you assess this middlegame? |
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This bishop has a nice-looking diagonal, but Black can play around it, and otherwise the bishop has very little scope. Meanwhile, the knight is well-placed, and Black's lead in development gives kingside attacking chances. The engines agree Black has a positionally won game.
19.f3!?
The engines are OK with this, albeit slightly preferring 19.a5!? or 19.Re1.
19...Ng3 20.Re1
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| How should Black proceed? |
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20...Rae8
White has a sharp reply to this, so probably better is the engines' 20...f5!?, fixing the e3 weakness.
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| How does White keep the game going? |
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21.e4! f6
This is good enough for a sizeable advantage, but the engines much prefer 21...Nh5!? Note that 21...dxe4?? loses to 22.d5.
22.Kf2
Perhaps best is 22.Qd2!?, although 22...Qxa4 23.Ra1 Qc6 wins a sound pawn.
22...Qc7 23.Qd2?
Better is 23.e5 fxe5 24.dxe5 Rxe5 25.Qxd5+! Rxd5 26.Rxe8+ Kf7 27.Re7+ Qxe7 28.Bxe7 Kxe7 29.Kxg3, when material is level, but the rook-and-pawn ending strongly favours Black's two pawn islands against White's three.
23...dxe4 24.d5!?
Complicating in this manner seems White's best chance, although it should not work.
24...e3+ 25.Rxe3 Rxe3 26.d6 Qd7
Other moves also win.
27.Kxg3 Rd3 28.Qf4
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| 28.Qf4 protects White's major asset, the d6 pawn, and threatens the devastating 29.Qxc4+, but Black has a simple answer |
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28...Qxa4 29.Bb4 Qb5 30.h4!?
This is liked by the engines, but it poses little threat.
30...Qe5 31.Qxe5 Rxe5 32.Kg4 Kf7 33.Ra1 a5 34.Ba3 Ke6 35.Rb1 b5 36.f4?
This loses on the spot, but the engines reckon Black's advantage is anyway the equivalent being more than a rook up (Stockfish18), or even up the equivalent of a rook and a minor piece (Dragon1).
36...h5#
TEAM RESULT
| Bo. | 18 | Israel 2 | Rtg | - | 13 | England 3 | Rtg | 2 : 2 |
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| 9.1 | | | 0 | - | | | 2003 | 0 - 1 |
| 9.2 | | | 1772 | - | | | 1950 | 1 - 0 |
| 9.3 | | | 1821 | - | | | 1921 | 1 - 0 |
| 9.4 | | | 1601 | - | | | 1903 | 0 - 1 |
