Spanish Cozio
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nge7
For quite some time this is Dragon1's second choice, but the engine comes to agree with Stockfish18 that the best continuation is 3...Nf6, with 3...a6 second-best (!?).
4.Nc3!?
More popular in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database are 4.c3 and especially 4.0-0, but the text is fashionable, for a reason I will explain after Black's next move.
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| How should Black proceed? |
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4...Ng6!?
The 'normal' Cozio move, 4...g6, is out of favour because of 5.d4 exd4 6.Nd5!? Bg7 7.Bg5, with the upper hand for White, according to the engines.
5.d4 exd4 6.Nxd4
6.Nd5?! makes much less sense without a hole at f6.
6...Bb4 7.0-0 Bxc3?!
Black smashes White's queenside, but the resulting structure is not easy to attack, at least not before an ending, and in the meantime White has the bishop-pair and a lead in development.
8.bxc3 0-0
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| White has the upper hand (Stockfish18) or possibly a positionally won game (Dragon1, but the evaluation fluctuates, and eventually more-or-less settles on plus-over-minus) |
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9.f4!
The engines agree this is best. White takes control of the e5 square, while preparing a kingside attack.
9...a6!?
Apparently a novelty, and preferred by the engines over 9...Nxd4, which was played in games featuring a 2200 and a 2295 as Black.
10.Bd3 d6 11.Rb1 Re8
Not 11...Rb8?? 12.Nxc6.
12.Qh5!? Nxd4?!
Not 12...Qh4? 13.Qxh4 Nxh4 14.Nxc6 bxc6 15.f5, after which the black knight has no retreat squares. But, rather than the text, the engines much prefer 12...Qe7.
13.cxd4 Nf8!?
This looks horribly passive, but it is probably best.
14.f5 Qf6
Perhaps a better way to stop White playing f6 is for Black to play 14...f6, or 14...Nd7.
15.c3 h6
White threatened to win the black queen with 16.Bg5.
16.g4
Perhaps 16.Rf3 is strongest.
16...Nh7 17.h4 g5!? 18.fxg6 Qxg6 19.Qxg6+ fxg6
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| Black has foiled the mating attack, but is losing a pawn |
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20.Bxh6 Bxg4 21.Rxb7 Re7 22.Bc4+ Kh8 23.Bxa6??
White is roughly the equivalent of being a rook up after 23.Rf7, according to the engines.
23...Bc8 24.Rfb1
The engines reckon 24.a4!? Bxb7 25.Rxb7 Rxa4 is equal, White having a pair of bishops and a pawn for the exchange. Note that 24...Rxa6!? 25.Rb8 Re8 26.Rf7 may slightly favour White, according to the engines.
24...Bxb7
But here the engines reckon 24...Ra6!? 25.Rb8 Re8 gives Black at least the better part of equality.
25.Rxb7
The engines reckon 25.Bxb7 Rb8 26.Rb3 is completely equal.
25...Rxa6!?
Black has a slight edge after 25...Rxe4, according to Dragon1, but Stockfish18 disagrees.
26.Rb8+ Nf8 27.Bxf8?!
Probably better is 27.Rxf8+ Kh7 28.Bg5.
27...Rxe4 28.Bxd6+ Kh7
Black has at least a slight edge after the somewhat counter-intuitive 28...Kg7!, according to the engines.
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| White to play and equalise |
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29.Be5!
After 29.Bxc7 Rxa2, Dragon1 reckons Black is winning, but Stockfish18 gives Black just a slight edge. The text threatens mate.
29...g5 30.h5!? Rxe5
Forced.
31.dxe5
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| How would you assess this rook-and-pawn ending? |
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White is two pawns up, but it is Black to move, and the black king is more active than its white counterpart. The endgame is completely equal, according to the engines.
31...Rc6?
But not any more. Three moves seem to hold the balance: 31...Rxa2, 31...Re6 and 31...Kh6
32.Rb4 Kh6 33.Re4 Re6
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| The central passed pawn is blockaded, and h5 is about to fall, but the black rook has become passive - White's advantage is again worth about a rook, according to the engines |
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34.a4?
The king should be activated, eg 34.Kf2 Kxh5 35.Kg3, when Black is in zugzwang, a possible continuation being 35...Re8 (35...Kg6 36.Kg4; 35...g4 36.Kf4) 36.a4 Re6 (36...Re7 37.e6) 37.a5 Kh6 38.Kg4 Kg6 39.Re2, when Black has to give way.
34...Kxh5 35.a5
Activating the white king also only draws.
35...Kg6 36.a6?! Rxa6 37.e6 Ra8 38.Kf2 Re8
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| Black has the less-vulnerable passed pawn, and the more-active king, but the ending is still drawn |
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39.Kf3 Kf6 40.Rc4 Re7 41.Kg4 Kxe6 42.Kxg5 Kd5 43.Rd4+
The only move to draw, but not so hard to find.
43...Kc5 44.Kf4
Again an only-move, according to the Syzygy endgame tablebase.
44...c6 45.Rb4 Re1 46.Re4!? Rxe4!?
The draw is easy after this, whereas care is still required after 46...Rc1, but one drawing line runs 47.Ke3!? Rxc3+ 48.Kd2, reaching a well-known drawn position, although there is nothing stopping Black playing on.
47.Kxe4 Kc4 48.Ke5 ½–½
48.Ke5 was also an only-move, after which play might have continued 48...c5 49.Kd6 Kxc3 50.Kxc5.
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