David Ratcliffe (154 BCF) - Spanton (151 BCF)
North London Autumn Major 1989
Queen's Fianchetto Defence
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 b6!? 3.Nf3
Possibly best is 3.Nc3 Bb7 4.Qc2, as Euwe and Teichmann played against Alekhine.
3...Bb7 4.e3 e6 5.Nc3 Bb4
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| This position, which occurs 4,285 times in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database, could easily arise from a Nimzo-Indian or Queen's Indian move-order |
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6.Bd3 Ne4 7.Qc2 f5 8.0-0 Nxc3
Alekhine played 8...Bxc3 in a 1920 game, but nine years later Capablanca preferred the text.
9.bxc3 Bxf3 10.gxf3 Bd6!?
The engines reckon this is better than Capablanca's 10...Qg5+.
11.f4 Qh4 12.f3 g5?!
Black should castle, or play ...Nc6 and then castle (kingside), according to the engines.
13.fxg5 h6 14.Qf2?
Murtas Kazhgaleyev (2578) - Arystanbek Urazayev (2446), Kazakhstan Championship (Almaty) 2019, went 14.g6 Rg8 15.e4 Nc6 16.exf5 exf5 17.Bxf5, when Black does not seem to have enough for two pawns (1-0, 27 moves).14...Qxg5+?
The engines reckon Black has the upper hand after 14...hxg5 15.Qxh4 Rxh4.
15.Kh1 Nc6 16.e4 Qh5 17.e5 Be7 18.f4 Bh4?
This loses a piece, although the engines reckon White is positionally winning anyway after the better 18...Rg8.
19.Be2! Qg6
Or 19...Bxf2 20.Bxh5+ Kd8 21.Rxf2.
20.Qxh4 1-0
LESSON: improving on Capablanca is all well and fine, but of little value if a piece is dropped a few moves later.
