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| Illa del Toro |
Sicilian Bb5(+)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.Bxc6 bxc6 5.d3 Ne7 6.Qe2!? Ng6 7.h4
The main point of 6.Qe2!? is so 6...Ng6 can be met by the text.
7...h5 8.e5 Be7 9.Qe4 d5!? 10.exd6 Qxd6
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| How would you assess the early opening skirmishes? |
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Black's bishop-pair is more than outweighed by White's superior pawn-structure, giving White the upper hand, according to Stockfish18 and Dragon1.
11.Bg5 Bb7?!
Apparently a novelty, and probably not a good one. Known moves are are 11...Rb8, 11...Bf6!? and 11...Bxg5?! The engines suggest 11...Qd5, 11...0-0 and 11...c4!?
12.Nbd2 Qd5 13.Bxe7 Nxe7
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| The bishop-pair is gone, but Black still has the inferior structure |
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14.Nc4 Nf5 15.Na5 0-0-0 16.Ne5 Nd6 17.Qxd5?!
This throws away the bulk of White's advantage. White should retreat the queen, not worrying about ...Qxg2, or play 17.c4!?, when 17...Qxe4+ 18.dxe4 leaves White with the upper hand, according to the engines.
17...exd5!?
The engines fluctuate between the two recaptures.
18.0-0-0 Kc7 19.Nxb7 Kxb7 20.Rde1 Kc7 21.Rh3!? Rhe8 22.Kd2 Re7 23.Nf3 Rxe1 24.Nxe1 Nf5 25.Rf3 g6
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| The engines reckon the rook-and-knight ending is completely equal |
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26.Rf4 Kd6 27.Nf3 f6 28.Ng1 Rb8 29.b3 Rb4!? 30.c4!?
This is Dragon1's top choice, at least for a while, but Stockfish18 prefers 30.Nh3.
30...Ke5 31.g3 Nd4
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| How should White proceed? |
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32.Nf3+!
This allows Black to trap the white rook, but is the only move to save the game, according to Stockfish18. White's problem is Black threatens ...a5 and ...a4. Dragon1 agrees the text is best, but at first reckons 32.Ke3 is just about OK for White, until shown Stockfish18's 32...Rb6! Similarly, Dragon1 suggests 32.Ne2, but Stockfish18 claims both 32...Rb6 and 32...a5 win, eg 32.Ne2 Rb6 33.Nxd4 cxd4 34.cxd5 (Dragon1's top choice) f5!? (34...cxd5 may also win) 35.dxc6 Rxc6, after which White is a pawn up. but completely losing, one line running 36.Rf3 Ra6 37.a4 Rc6 38.b4 Rc3 39.b5 Ra3 etc.
32...Nxf3+ 33.Rxf3 d4 34.Rf4 f5
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| Despite the white rook being restricted to shuffling between f4 and f3, the rook-and-pawn ending is drawn, but only Black has hopes of winning |
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35.Kc2 Rb8 36.Kd2?
But now the ending is lost. White had to keep the king where it was, eg by shuffling the rook, play the king to b2, or play 36.a3.
36...a5
If White had played 36.Rf3, 36.Kb2 or 36.a3, then 36...a5 could be met by 37.a4, preserving the draw.
37.Kc2 a4 38.bxa4
Everything loses, eg 38.Kb2 axb3 39.axb3 Ra8 40.Kb1 Kd6 41.Kb2 Re8, or 40.f3 Kd6, when 41.g4 loses to 40...Ke5.
38...Rb4 39.a3 Rxa4 40.Kb3 Ra7 41.Rf3 Rb7+ 42.Kc2
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| Black to play and win |
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42...Ra7
The winning plan, as before, consists of playing ...Kd6, so Black's rook can penetrate down the e file, or, if White stops this by playing Ke2, switching the rook to the a file, eg 42...Kd6 43.Rf4 Re7 44.Rf3 Re2+ 45.Kb3 Rd2 46.a4 Kc7 47.Ka3 Kb6 48.Kb3 Ka5 49.Ka3 Rc2 etc.
43.Kb3 Rb7+ ½–½
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