Spanton (1889) - Alexia-Teodora Puia (1751)
Dutch Defence
1.d4 f5 2.Nc3!?
More popular are 2.Nf3 and especially 2.g3 and 2.c4, but the text has been tried by Garry Kasparov, Fabiano Caruana, Levon Aronian and other top grandmasters.
2...Nf6 3.Bg5 d5
A Stonewall set-up is easily the commonest response to White's system in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database.
4.e3
The mainline runs 4.Bxf6!? exf6 5.e3 Be6 6.Bd3 with an equal position, according to Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02.
4...e6 5.Bd3 Be7 6.Nh3!?
The engines do not like this, preferring 6.Nf3 or 6.Nce2!?
 |
| How should Black respond? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
6...0-0
This was played in all four games in Mega22 that reached the position after 6.Nh3!? The engines reckon equally good is 6...c5.
7.Nf4 Ne4
 |
| How should White proceed? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
8.h4!?
This positional pawn sacrifice may be a novelty. Weiqi Zhou (2638) - Yangyi Yu (2735), China Team Championship 2016, saw 8.Bxe7 Qxe7 9.0-0 c5 10.Nce2 with an equal game, according to the engines (½–½, 31 moves).
 |
| How should Black reply? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
8...Bxg5
The engines reckon White is much better after 8...Nxg5?! 9.Bg5 Qh5. They suggest declining the pawn, eg 8...Nc6!?, when both 9.Bxe7 Qxe7 and 9.Bxe7 Nxe7 are roughly level, but favouring White if anyone, according to the engines.
9.hxg5 Qxg5
White has more than enough for a pawn after 9...Nxg5 10.Qh5, according to the engines.
10.Rh5
The engines prefer 10.g4!?, giving White a slight edge.
10...Qg4??
Sensible is 10...Qe7 or 10...Qf6.
11.Qxg4?
This is good enough for a large advantage, but 11.Be2, as A-TP pointed out afterwards, is a complete killer.
11...fxg4 12.Nxe4 dxe4 13.Bxe4 g6 14.Rg5 Kg7 15.Bxb7?!
White is winning comfortably after 15.0-0-0 or 15.Ke2, according to the engines, while the text is unclear.
15...Bxb7 16.Nxe6+
 |
| What should Black play? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
16...Kh6?
Clearly White is much better - winning, according to the engines - after 16...Kf7 (or 16...Kg8) 17.Nxf8 Kxf8 18.Rxg4, but 16...Kf6 17.Nxf8 Kxg5 18.Ne6+ Kf5 19.Nxc7 Bxg2 is unclear. The engines reckon best play runs something like 20.c4!? h5 21.Nxa8 Bxa8 22.d5, when Stockfish15 gives White a slight edge but Komodo13.02 reckons the position is equal.
17.Rxg4
Threatening mate in one.
17...Kh5
Or 17...Rf5 18.Rh4+ Rh5 19.Rxh5+ gxh5 20.Nxc7 etc.
18.f3 Bxf3!?
The best chance, but losing.
19.gxf3 Rxf3 20.Rg5+ Kh4?
20...Kh6 avoids mate in the short run, but 21.0-0-0 Rh3 22.Rg3! and 23.Nxc7 wins.
21.Ke2 Rh3 22.Rag1 Rh2+
Or 22...h5 23.Nf4 Rh2+ 24.Kd3 and Nxg6#.
23.Kd3 1-0
