Fundamentals (part 31)

Spanton (2014) - A Seidl (1588)
Liechtenstein 2003

White has just captured on d3 - how would you assess the position?

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Black is slightly better.
Don't believe it? Neither do I, but that is the initial verdict of the analysis engine Stockfish10. It quickly changes to equal, and eventually settles on plus-over-minus, ie White has the upper hand. Komodo10 starts off rating the position as equal but comes to slightly prefer White.
Most human players of club standard and above would, I suspect, A) guess the ending is likely to have arisen from the Exchange Variation of the Spanish (it did), B) assess the position as much better, probably winning, for White.
27...Ke5
This is the engines' choice.
28.Ke3 c6
The engines suggest 28...Kd6 but that does not seem to be an improvement.
29.f4+ Ke6 30.g4 g6 31.a4 b5 32.b3 f5?!
I believe Black is lost anyway but this makes it too easy for White. The engines suggest 32...Kf7, eg 33.h4 Ke6 34.f5+ gxf5 35.exf5+ Ke5 36.Kf3 h6 37.a5 b4 38.Ke3 Kd6 39.Kf4 etc.
The game finished:
33.exf5+ gxf5 34.gxf5+ Kxf5 35.Kf3 h6 36.h3 h5 37.Ke3 Kf6 38.Ke4 Ke6 39.f5+ Kf7 40.h4 bxa4 41.bxa4 a5 42.Ke5 Ke7 43.f6+ Kf8 44.Kf5 Kf7 45.Kg5 Kf8 46.Kxh5 1-0

Learn From The Greats (part 11)

Spanton (2011) - Normunds Miezis (2562)
Liechtenstein 2011
English Symmetrical
1.c4 c5 2.g3 Nc6 3.Bg2 g6 4.e3 Bg7 5.Ne2 d6 6.Nbc3 h5!?
More popular are 6...e5 and 6...Nf6, but the thrust ...h5 (or h4 for White) against an opponent's kingside fianchetto is a common idea, and probably even more common today than it was nine years ago.
7.h3
The best response, according to Miezis. The idea is to meet ...h4 with g4.
7...Bd7 8.d4!?
A mistake, according to Miezis, who thought I should have continued with Rb1, a3 or b3. However, of the 13 games in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database to reach the position after 7...Bd7, seven saw 8.d4!? (albeit one of the seven is this game).
8...cxd4 9.exd4

How should Black proceed?

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9...Nh6!?
A far-from-obvious move, at least to me, but it is the choice of the analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo10.
The game Dirk Poldauf (2404) - Zvonko Stanojoski (2496), EU Cup (Rethymno, Crete) 2003, saw 9...Qc8 10.b3 Nf6, and now 11.Be3 gives White the better game, according to the engines.
10.0-0 Qc8 11.Kh1 Nf5 12.Be3 0-0 13.Rc1 Re8 14.d5?
Gaining space, at least on the central-queenside, but more significant is that it gives up control of the e5 square and obstructs White's light-square bishop.
14...Nxe3
Giving up a well-placed knight, but winning the bishop-pair, stopping the d7 pawn being backward on a half-open file, and turning the e5 square into an outpost that cannot be challenged by a white pawn. Black is at least equal
15.fxe3 Ne5 16.b3 Qc5 17.Nd4
Much better than 17.e4?, which puts another pawn on the same-coloured square as White's surviving bishop.
17...a6
Miezis said he thought this was wrong, and that he should have played 17...Rac8, but the engines prefer the text.
18.Ne4 Qa5 19.Bf3?
Miezis suggested 19.c5!?
19...Bh6!?
Black has a slight edge after this, but why not capture on a2 with check? Well, after 19...Qxa2+ 20.Rc2 Qa5, White has an interesting try in 21.Bxh5!? gxh5 22.Qxh5 f6 (only move), and now 23.g4!? is unclear (Komodo10 much prefers Black; Stockfish10 much prefers White).
20.Qe2 Kg7 21.Rf2 Rh8 22.Bg2 Raf8
The engines want Black to immediately attack with 22...f5!?
23.Nf3 Nxf3+ 24.Rxf3 Kg8 25.Rcf1 f5?!
The engines no longer like ...f5, reckoning Black keeps an advantage with 25...Rh7 (Stockfish10) or 25...Bg7 (Komodo10).
26.Qb2?!
I see from my notes that I rejected the almost-certainly better 26.Nf2 because I thought Black's kingside play was coming too quickly, but Miezis pointed out White has more pieces than Black on that part of the board.
26...Bg7
Not 26...fxe4?? 27.Rxf8+ Bxf8 28.Rxf8+ Kxf8 29.Qxh8+ Kf7 30.Qh7+ etc.
27.Qd2?!
White has the marginally safer king, so it is probably better to keep queens on the board with 27.Qf2, especially if, as seems likely, Black is obliged to spend time returning his queen to the kingside.
27...Qxd2 28.Nxd2 h4 29.g4!?
Miezis said this is a good move, and the engines agree it is the best move in the position, but Black is definitely better.
29...fxg4 30.Rxf8+ Bxf8 31.hxg4 Bxg4
The engines' 31...Bh6! is strong, the point being that 32.Re1 Bxg4 gives Black a better version of the game.
32.Rf4
Black faces a more difficult task after 32.Bh3! Bxh3 33.Kxh3 as it will be tricky for Black to break down a White blockade on the light squares.
32...Bf5 33.Bh3 Bh6 34.Rf3 Kg7 35.Bxf5 gxf5 36.Rxf5
This is best, according to the engines.
36...Bxe3 37.Ne4
Not 37.Nf3?? Kg6.
37...b5 38.Rf3 Bd4 39.Kh3 bxc4 40.bxc4 Rc8 41.Ra3?
Very weak, according to Miezis, who suggested 41.Kxh4 Rxc4 42.Kg5, which at least gives White an active king.
41...Rxc4 42.Rxa6 Be5 43.Ng5 Kg6 44.Nf3 Bf6 45.Rc6 Ra4 46.Rc2 Kf5 47.Rf2 Ra3 48.Kg2 Ke4 0-1
LESSONS FROM THIS GAME
A serious positional error at move 14 gave Black a comfortable middlegame, and another serious positional error at move 41 turned a difficult ending into a lost one.

Learn From The Greats (part nine)

Sebastian Bogner (2511) - Spanton (2034)
Liechtenstein 2009
Chigorin Defence
1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.cxd5 Bxf3 5.gxf3 Qxd5 6.e3 e5
Chigorin played 6...e6!? in a draw against Steinitz at London 1899.
7.Nc3 Bb4 8.Bd2 Bxc3 9.bxc3

Black's ninth move is critical for how the game will develop

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9...Qd6
I have six opening books that are either solely about the Chigorin or devote a substantial portion of their text to it. Most firmly state, or at least imply, that 9...exd4 is inferior.
Chris Ward in Unusual Queen's Gambit Declined (Everyman 2002) states: "This type of knights versus bishops scenario has been hotly debated over the years. One thing that seems to have been concluded is that 9...exd4 shows Black's hand unnecessarily early … The premature pawn-trade enables [White] to utilise the queenside files far more easily."
Gary Lane in Ideas Behind Modern Chess Openings: Black (Batsford 2005): "I like [9...Qd6] which keeps all options open. 9...exd4 is the main alternative but is less flexible as it releases the tension in the centre."
Valery Bronznik in The Chigorin Defence (Schachverlag Kania 2005) treats 9...Qd6 as the main line, while also taking a look at 9...exd4, 9...Nge7 and 9...Nf6.
Christoph Wisnewski in Play 1...Nc6! (Everyman 2007) writes of the diagram position: "Black's foremost concern should be to stop a possible pawn-advance, and 9...Qd6! does the trick." He adds: "9...e4? does not work because of 10.Bg2. Neither does 9...Nf6?!, as after 10.c4 Qd6 11.d5 Ne7 12.Rb1 b6 13.Bb4 White was better in A. Saidy - M. Al Modiakhi, Las Vegas 2001. Finally, 9...exd4, although examined by Bronznik, is completely out of the question. Why release the tension and open the position for the pair of bishops?"
Angus Dunnington in The Chigorin Queen's Gambit (Batsford 1996) says: "The exchange [9....exd4] allows White to rid himself of the c3 pawn and opens the e1-a5 diagonal for the bishop and the c file for the rook. Black also gives up an influential central pawn. However, the queen does not have as much scope on d6 as it does on d5, and Black's ninth move loses time. The choice is really just a matter of taste."
So that is four experts for 9...Qd6 and only one willing to give equal standing to 9...exd4.
Then along came The Chigorin Defence According To Morozevich (New In Chess 2007). The book is credited to "Alexander Morozevich & Vladimir Barsky." But the format suggests it was written by international master Barsky and then submitted to grandmaster Morozevich for a once-over. The book concentrates on 9...Qd6, but there is a section in italics directly attributed to Morozevich that runs in part: "As a result of theoretical investigations and practical tests I have come to the conclusion that the most promising continuation for Black is 9....Nf6!?, which has not been employed much in practice."
As might be expected, Morozevich's verdict sparked an explosion of interest in 9...Nf6, with the main line established as 10.c4 Qd6 11.d5 Ne7 12.Rb1 b6 13.Bb4, which the analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo10 reckon gives White the upper hand.
10.Rb1 0-0-0?!
Normal is 10...b6.
Morozevich, writing in general about the diagram position, states: "The plan with ...0-0-0 seems rather dangerous to me, since White has the b file which his queen and rook can quickly occupy. I do not believe in this plan, and I myself have never castled queenside."
11.Qb3 b6 12.Qxf7 Nh6 13.Qc4
13.Bh3+!? seems to have been a novelty when it was played in Atila Gajo Figura (2074) - Spanton (2148), Lechenicher SchachServer Preliminaries 1999 (corr). The game continued 13...Kb8 14.Qxg7 exd4 15.cxd4 Qd5 16.Rc1 Rhe8, and now the future IM played 17.Rc3? (the engines reckon Black has full compensation for his material deficit, but no more, after 17.e4 or 17.Rg1), but after 17...Nf7 18.Rxc6 (forced) Qxc6 19.Qxf7 Rxd4, Black was well on top (0-1, 74 moves).
13...Rhf8 14.Bd3 Rxf3
Stockfish10's 14...Nf7!? 15.Be4 Nb8 may be an improvement but still looks good for White.
15.Be4 Rf6 16.d5?!
Stronger, according to the engines, is 16.Qa6+.
16...Na5?
Better is 16...Nb8, as played in Cyril Marzolo (2393) - Igor Miladinović (2607), French Team Championship (Gonfreville) 2006. After the further 17.Rf1 Rdf8 18.f3 Nf5 19.Ke2 Qd7 20.Bxf5 Rxf5, Black was at least equal (½–½, 44 moves).
17.Qa6+ Nb7
I had missed that 17...Kb8?? drops a piece.
18.c4 Kb8 19.Bb4 c5??
The engines give the better, but still miserable, 19...Qd7 20.c5 Qc8.
20.dxc6 Nc5 21.c7+ Kxc7
Black loses a piece after 21...Qxc7 22.Bxc5.
22.Qxa7+ Kc8 23.Bb7+ Kd7 24.Bd5+?
24.Rd1 wins instantly.
24...Ke8 25.Bxc5 Qxc5 26.Rb5 Qe7 27.Qxe7+ Kxe7 28.Ke2
Materially Black is only a pawn down, but White is positionally better too.
28...Rdf8 29.Rf1 Ng4 30.f3 Nxh2!?
This is Komodo10's choice, but that only shows how bad Black's position is as now the knight gets trapped.
31.Rf2 Rh6 32.Be4 Rff6
The e5 pawn cannot be saved.
33.Rxe5+ Re6 34.Rg5 1-0
LESSONS FROM THIS GAME
Whatever the merits of Black's ninth-move choices, none of it matters if Black goes on to commit tactical howlers.

Old Chessnut Updated

HAVING yesterday revisited one of the most famous chess games ever played, Morphy - Brunswick/Isouard, Paris Opera House 1858, I suddenly wondered if anyone had played 3...Bg4?! in the Philidor against me, and, if so, whether I handled it reasonably.
It turns out I faced the move once, ten years ago.
Spanton (2034) - Willi Ingold (1801)
Liechtenstein 2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Bg4?! 4.dxe5 Bxf3 5.Qxf3 dxe5 6.Bc4 Nf6? 7.Qb3
I am fairly sure I knew, or at least suspected, we had been following Morphy's gem up to this point, but now my opponent varies, and not in a good way, from that game's 7...Qe7!?
7...Qd7? 8.Qxb7 Bc5!?
This is best, according to my main analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo10, although 8...Qc6?, which runs into 9.Bb5, is more common in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database.
9.Qxa8 0-0 10.Be3
10.Qb7 was played in three Mega19 games to reach this position (in a fourth, Black resigned before White could make his 10th move).
10...Bxe3 11.fxe3 Qg4 12.0-0 Nbd7 13.Qxa7 Qxe4 14.Bd3 Qh4 15.Nd2 e4? 16.Rf4 Qh5 17.Nxe4 Ng4 18.Rxg4
Black chose this point to offer a draw, which certainly showed a highly developed state of optimism.
18...Qxg4 19.Qxc7 Nb8 20.a4 Nd7!? 21.a5 h5 22.h3 Qe6 23.a6 Ne5 24.a7 f5 25.a8=R
I cannot recall if I was showing off or was too lazy to get up and hunt for a queen.
25...Rxa8 26.Rxa8+ Kh7 1-0