Name-Checked In The Guardian

Scroll down to November 28 in The Guardian's "sporting quotes of 2018":
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2018/dec/31/the-sporting-quotes-of-2018-year
I am in-between Tyson Fury and Mr T ... something of a long-time dream fulfilled.

Did I Miss A Draw?

ROOK endings are notoriously drawish, both in theory and in practice, but what do you think of the following position?

Black to make his 36th move in Thomas Brown (2068) - Spanton (1954), Hastings Masters Round Four

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Firstly, we can dismiss 36...Rxc6?? 37.Rh5+ as completely hopeless for Black.
In the game I played 36...Rd1+? 37.Kc2 Rd6 38.c7 Rc6+ 38.Kd3 1-0
But, as TB suggested afterwards, I should have tried 36...f3! The point is that 37.gxf3 Rxc6 brings about an example of the infamously drawn f&h-pawn ending.*
TB was not sure if the actual position on the board would be drawn, but the Nalimov endgame tablebase confirms the position is indeed drawn.
White could try 37.Rh5+ Kf4 38.Rh4+ Kg5 39.Rg4+ Kh5 40.gxf3, but again the f&h-pawn ending is drawn after 40...Rxc6.
So, yes, I did miss a draw (assuming I would have played it accurately).
*If you do not know about this, consult almost any general endgame book.

Endgame Escape

ESCAPED with a draw against a junior in round three of the Hastings Masters after trying too hard in a drawn position.

Black has just played 37...Rb7-b4 in Spanton (1954) - Cassie Graham (1889)

Thirteen moves earlier I had turned down a draw offer in a dead-equal position. Over the next few moves I gained a tiny edge, more cosmetic than anything, but then missed an initiative-gaining idea for my opponent.
In the diagram position, Black threatens ...d5 followed by a fork on ...d4.
I rejected 45.Rc4 because of 45...Rxc4 46.bxc4, but it turns out White's queenside pawns are much easier to defend than I thought.
Instead I chose …
45.Nf4?
… but after …
45...Nxf4 46.gxf4
… I was definitely on the back foot.
46...Ke6 47.Rd3 d5 48.Rd1 f6?!
A bit of a non-move that seems to throw away much of Black's advantage by, believe it or not, weakening Black's kingside. More on this later.
Definitely mistaken was 48...d4+? as White is fine after 49.Kd3, eg 49...Kf5 50.Re1, when 50...Kxf4?! allows dangerous counterplay with 51.Re7, so safest is probably 50...Rb7, when 51.Re4 holds.
My main analysis engines, Komodo9 and Stockfish9, reckon Black keeps the upper hand after 48...Kd6.
49.Re1?
Taking pressure off d5. Instead I should have tried the engines' 49.h5!?, which gives decent drawing chances, eg 49...gxh5 50.Rh1, or 49...c4 50.hxg6 hxg6 51.Rd4. Another line runs 49...g5 50.fxg5 fxg5 51.Re1, when 51...Rh4 52.Kd3+ Kd6 53.Re8 Rxh5 54.Ra8 seems to give sufficient counterplay.
Note that after 49.Kd6, the move 49...h5 is much less effective as an exchange on g6 does not leave Black with a weak g pawn.
49...Kd6?!
Almost certainly not aggressive enough. I feared 49...Kf5, when there does not seem any way for White to save the game. The text gave me a second chance to find the engines' …
50.h5!?
… and Black replied with the mistaken …
50...gxh5?
Also wrong was 50...g5? as White has 51.fxg5 fxg5 52.h6 Rh4 53.Rg1 with excellent drawing chances.
Best was the immediate 50...c4, although after 51.hxg6 hxg6 52.bxc4 Rxc4 53.Rg1 Rc3+ 54.Kd4 Rxf3 55.Rg4, Black still has some work to do.
51.Rh1 c4
A tempo too late.
52.bxc4 Rxc4 53.Rxh5 Rxa4 54.Rxh7
Black has a tiny edge, but White can draw without much difficulty.
54...a5 55.Ra7 Ra3+ 56.Ke2 Ke6 57.Ra6+ Ke7
Black cannot make progress. The remaining moves were:
58.f5 a4 59.Re6+ Kf7 60.Rd6 Rc3 61.Kd2 Rxf3 62.Rd7+ Ke8 63.Rxd5 a3 64.Ra5 a2 65.Ke2 a1=Q 66.Rxa1 ½-½
I was pleased to discover after the game that CG has an ECF of 178, so my grading will have edged up as a result of this game even as my Elo rating edged down.

Outplayed

SOMETIMES you have to hold your hands up and admit you were second-best.
Matthew Payne (2182) - Spanton (1954)
Hastings Masters, Round Two
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Nxc6
White's second-most popular choice, behind 5.Be3.
5...Qf6
A well-known intermezzo based on the threat of mate at f2.
6.Qf3!? bxc6!?
The last two moves might need some explaining to anyone not familiar with the Scotch Opening.
As I understand it, White is arguing that doubled f pawns are a price worth paying for exchanging off Black's well-placed queen. In addition, White would get pressure down the half-open g file, and anyway maintains a central space advantage.
Black's most popular reply is, as I played, 6...bxc6!? but there is no consensus about this among top players. Carlsen, for example, has played the text and 6...dxc6, while Kramnik has played the text and 6...Qxf3.
7.Nd2
This was first played as recently as 1995, according to ChessBase's 2019 Mega database, but it has quickly become White's top choice.
The old move, 7.Nc3, still has its adherents, with attacking players such as Morozevich among them.
7...Rb8?!
MP in the post-mortem could not understand the point of this.
Most popular is 7...d6 but I, somewhat unrealistically, hoped to get in ...d5, and did not want to spend a tempo on moving the d pawn forward just one square. I could not see any other useful move for Black, and so played the text as a semi-useful waiting move.
Interestingly, 7...Qxf3 is usually answered by 8.gxf3!?
8.Nb3 Qxf3 9.gxf3 Bb6
The bishop looks aggressively posted here, but retreating along the other diagonal may have been more prudent. I seriously considered 9...Be7, while MP suggested 9...Bd6.
10.Rg1 g6 11.Be3
MP played this to enable quick castling, but the move is not liked by the analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo9, who give 11.a4.
11...Bxe3 12.fxe3 Ne7 13.0-0-0 0-0 14.h4
This looks natural, but the engines reckon White is much better after 14.Rg5!?, the idea being to pressure Black's weakened queenside.
14...d6
The move I had been trying to avoid, but it is hard to find a good alternative. 14...d5?!, for example, leaves Black very inflexible on the queenside.

Black's forces are confined to three ranks, and White now found an interesting way to use his extra mobility to exploit Black's weaknesses

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15.e5!?
It takes the engines quite some time to see the force of this move.
15...dxe5?!
This greedy response seems to play into White's hands. The engines prefer 15...Nf5 or 15...Rd8, but in each case with White having the better game.
16.e4
The point of White's sacrifice. Black is in a bind with few prospects for active play.
16...f5?
A rash, and bad, bid for freedom.
I did not like 16...Be6 because of 17.Nc5, when Black will be hard-pressed to defend his numerous pawn weaknesses.
Stockfish10 suggests 16...Re8, but after 17.Nc5 Kf8 18.Rd3 White clearly has more than enough compensation for the pawn.
Komodo9's 16...Kg7 17.Nc5 Re8 is met by 18.Nd7, when White gets his pawn back and Black is still left with weaknesses.
17.Bc4+ Kg7 18.Nc5 fxe4 19.fxe4 Rf4 20.Rd8 Rf8?
Losing more-or-less instantly.
I had to try 20...Rxh4, when 21.Be6?? may even be better for Black after 21...Rb5. But White has several strong continuations, including 21.Rf1 Rf4 22.Rxf4 exf4 23.Re8 Kf6 24.Nd3 with the threat of e5+
21.Rxf8 Kxf8 22.Rf1+ Ke8 23.Bf7+ Kf8 24.Bxg6+ Kg7 25.Rf7+ Kg6 26.Rxe7
White has won his pawn back, and Black has even more weaknesses than earlier.
The game finished:
26...Rb5 27.Nd3 Bb7 28.Rxc7 a5 29.c4 Rb6 30.c5 1-0

30 New-Years In Hastings

AM back in Hastings for the 30th consecutive time of playing in the congress over New Year.
Spanton (1954) - Holger Witt (1567)
Hastings Masters, Round One
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 Ne7 5.Bd2 c5
By two minor transpositions, we have reached the starting point of the Bogoljubov Variation of the French Winawer.
6.a3
This virtually forces the win of the bishop-pair, but more popular is 6.Nb5, when the knight might go to d6.
6...Bxc3
Just about possible is 6...Ba5?! but White scores massively with the simple 7.dxc5.
7.Bxc3 cxd4 8.Bxd4
The mainline sees White keeping the bishop-pair with 8.Qxd4 Nbc6 9.Qg4.
8...Nbc6 9.Nf3 Nxd4 10.Nxd4 a6!?
This may be a new move.
Three previous games of mine featured 10...Nc6, with me scoring a win and two draws against lower-rated opposition.
11.Bd3 Nc6 12.Nf3 Bd7 13.0-0 0-0 14.Qe2 b5?!
White must be better anyway, but further shutting-in Black's light-square bishop is very unlikely to be right.
15.b4!?
Clearly double-edged as the c pawn is now weak.
15...Qb6

Has Black allowed a Greek Gift sac?

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16.c3
Definitely not 16.Bxh7+?? Kxh7 17.Ng5+ as the Black king can come out at g6 or h6 without putting itself in serious danger. White's rooks are a long way from helping in the attack, and the e5 pawn is weak.
16...h6 17.Rfd1 Rac8 18.Rac1 Rc7
My main analysis engines quite like the odd-looking 18...Be8!? Komodo9 for some time assesses the position as almost equal, but Stockfish10 reckons White has the upper hand. However, the engines' evaluations eventually merge at slightly better for White.
19.Bb1 Rfc8
The engines prefer 19...Ne7, but with White for choice.
After the text, both players' pieces are largely bunched on the queenside, but White can more easily switch to the other wing.
20.Qd3 g6 21.h4 Be8
21...Ne7, 21...Rf8 and 21...h5 are all suggested by the engines, but in each case with White having a substantial advantage.
22.h5 Ne7 23.Nd4
Even stronger seems to be 23.Qd2 Kg7 24.hxg6.
23...Nf5
The only hope, according to the engines.
24.Nxf5?!
I seriously looked at 24.hxg6 with the idea of 24...Nxd4 25.gxf7+, which is indeed very strong, although 24...fxg6 keeps the game going. In the end I settled for a line that is easier to calculate but is almost certainly not so good.
24...gxf5 25.g4
25.Qg3+? does not achieve anything. Indeed, it invites later trouble down the g file.
25...Rc4 26.gxf5 Rf4??
A blunder that loses immediately.
I expected 26...Rg4+ 27.Kf1, when the engines give 27...exf5 with advantage to White after 28.Qxd5 or 28.Qxf5, but still with lots to play for.
27.Qg3+ 1-0

Taking Stock

THE latest version of the world's strongest analysis engine, Stockfish10, is available for free download at https://stockfishchess.org/download/

Have Yourself A Coulsdon Little Christmas

PLAYED at Coulsdon over the weekend, scoring +2=1-2.
I was pretty disappointed with my play, not least at missing numerous tactics, not helped by my old sin of playing too quickly.
My performance was enough to cost me 5.8 elo, and I felt as though I deserved to have lost more.
My mood was not improved on putting the games into ChessBase this evening and discovering even more errors than I had suspected.
And yet, when I came to check my ECF grading performance, I found I performed at 172.4 - comfortably more than my ECF grade of 167 ...

I'm In The Money

Spanton (1940) - Marcel Gil Vega (1977), Benidorm U2000, Round 10
Caro-Kann, Classical Variation
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3
I have been playing the Panov-Botvinnik (3.cxd5 cxd5 4.c4) more often lately, but I lost to GV in the same tournament last year, albeit with colours reversed, and decided something more solid was in order.
3...dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3
An old favourite of mine is 5.Bd3!? Critical is 5...Qxd4 6.Nf3, after which Black's best is probably 6...Qd8, when 7.Qe2 gives White reasonable compensation.
5...Bg6 6.Nf3 Nd7 7.h4 h6 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qd3 e6 11.Bd2
This modest-looking development has become White's most-popular move, the idea being to prevent ...Qa5.
11...Ngf6 12.0-0-0 Qc7 13.Kb1 0-0-0 14.Ne4 Nxe4 15.Qxe4 Nf6 16.Qe5
Part of a plan to get the queens off. This may be an OK idea in itself, but does not fit well with spending a tempo on Kb1.
16...Bd6 17.Qa5 Qxa5
17...b6 18.Qa6+ Kb8 looks risky for Black.
18.Bxa5 b6 19.Bd2 Rd7 20.Be3!?
After the game, GF said this was very bad, but I do not think White has anything to fear from an exchange of Black knight for White bishop.
20...Ng4 21.c3 Rhd8 22.Kc2 c5 23.dxc5?!
This could have led to a difficult position for White. More solid was 23.Rh4 or Stockfish9's suggestion 23.Rde1.

Black to play his 23rd move and gain an advantage

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23...Nxe3+
The obvious reply, but better was 23...Bxc5!, when f2 is exposed as a weakness for White. Stockfish9 and Komodo9 give the main line as 24.Rxd7 Rxd7 25.Rh4 Nxe3+ 26.fxe3 Bxe3 27.Rg4 f5 28.Rg6, when Stockfish9 reckons White has almost full compensation for the pawn, but Komodo9 has Black as slightly better. I find it hard not to agree with Komodo9.
24.fxe3 Bxc5
At first glance, the coming ending might seem better for Black as he has bishop v knight in a position with unbalanced pawn majorities. But the key point is that Black will find it hard to generate a passed pawn from his restricted kingside majority.
25.e4 f6 26.Rxd7 Rxd7 27.Rd1
Rook and bishop usually work together better than rook and knight, so it seemed sensible to get all the majors off the board.
27...Rxd1 28.Kxd1 Kd7 29.Ke2 b5?!
Surely playing on the wrong side of the board.
30.Kd3 b4?
Very much the wrong idea, but I fail to exploit the mistake.
31.c4?
Generally it makes sense in this type of ending to leave the pawns of the player with the bishop on the same coloured squares as the bishop, but after the text it is difficult for White to make progress.
Instead there was a sure advantage in 31.cxb4 Bxb4 32.Kc4, when White can activate his majority while Black's is stymied, and Black cannot get at White's kingside pawns.
31...Kd6 32.b3 Bb6 33.Ke2 Bc5 34.Kd3 Bb6 35.Ke2
Interesting was 35.e5+!? fxe5?! 36.Ke4, when GV took some convincing that Black was totally lost after 36...Bd4?? 37.Nxd4.
I rejected it because of 35...Ke7, when I could not see how White would make progress and I was worried about putting a white pawn on a dark square. I was also worried that Black would somehow be able to make use of his kingside majority.
Looking at the position now, I feel I was fearing shadows, and so should have played on. Certainly, the engines reckon White is slightly better.
35...Bc5 ½-½
The result means I finished 30th on tiebreak with a score of +5=2-2, plus a one-point default bye, for a rating loss of 5.2 elo. It seems that later today at the prize-giving I should receive 85 euros - exactly the same as the entry fee.

Juniors Sometiimes Get A Taste Of Their Own Medicine

IN round nine of the Benidorm U2000 I faced a 13-year-old boy rated 1625.
That may not sound too terrifying, but 1625 was his rating at the start of the tournament - his December elo, which is not in effect as the tournament began on November 30, is 1740.
On top of that, he had gained more than 160 elo from the first eight rounds of the tournament, so his live rating by the time he met me was over 1900.
Fortunately, I knew all this before the game began, so there was no chance of me taking him too lightly.
Miguel Ruiz Buenida (1625) - Spanton (1940)
French Winawer Exchange
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.exd5 exd5 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.Ne2 Bg4!?
Alekhine played this as long ago as 1911. But in 1927, in the first game of his world championship match against Capablanca, he preferred 6...Nge7, which is overwhelmingly more popular today.
7.f3 Bh5 8.0-0 Nge7 9.a3 Ba5 10.Re1
My main analysis engines Stockfish9 and Komodo9 prefer 10.Na4.
10...0-0 11.Be3
This seems to be a new move, but is Stockfish9's choice.
11...Qd7 12.Ng3
On 12.Nf4 Bg6 13.Nxg6 I was planning 13...fxg6!?
12...Bg6 13.Re2 Rfe8 14.Bxg6 Nxg6
I felt ...fxg6 was less appropriate here as I had hopes of getting the knight to the f4 square, but it was certainly playable.
15.Qd3
Not just developing the queen, but preventing the sequence 15...Bxc3 16.bxc3 Na5 and 17...Nc4.
15...Re6 16.Rae1 Rae8

So far, fairly humdrum - but RB now came up with the type of move that juniors are used to exploiting rather than committing

17.Bd2? Nxd4
Black has won a pawn for free and is clearly much better, but RB now played a highly imaginative, but extremely bad, move that I had not even remotely considered.
18.Nxd5??
I recovered from this surprise sufficiently to find one of several refutations, namely:
18...Nxe2+ 19.Rxe2 Bb6+ 0-1 (34 moves)
My reward for this: 2.8 elo.

Black To Play And Win?

FACED my second Belgian of the tournament in round eight of the Benidorm U2000.
I won a pawn in the opening, but had to make some kingside concessions.
Later, Black had the chance to go for a combination, but is it sound?

White has just played 26.Ne5-d3 in Spanton (1940) - Dirk Voet (1820)

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The combination is 26...Bxc3?? 27.bxc3 Nxc3, but it is definitely unsound as White has 28.Qd2, eg 28...Nxd1 29.Qxg5+ Kh7 30.Ne5, when Black faces ruinous loss of material.
The game saw 26...Rhe8 27.Bb3 a5 28.Bd4!
Inviting an isolani on d4, but in return for a great outpost on e5.
28...Bxd4+ 29.cxd4 Qc6?! 30.Ne5 1-0 (35 moves)

Throwing Away A Win

BENIDORM U2000, along with its sister tournament, which is for players rated under 2301, is unusual in that it consists of 10 rounds over nine days (some years, but not very often, it is 10 rounds over 10 days).
Each round starts at 4.30pm, except for the double-round day when the morning game begins at 10am.
Yesterday saw this year's double-round day, but my morning opponent did not turn up (an all-too-frequent occurrence in Spanish tournaments in my experience), so I had to sit around twiddling my thumbs for an hour in case he showed.
In the afternoon/evening round, I reached the following position against an 11-year-old boy.

White to make his 40th move in Spanton (1940) - Pablo Fuertes Cirauqui (1807)

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40.e6??
White's advantage is overwhelming, but this is not the way to convert it.
If I had been taking my time, I would have seen the danger to my king from a check on h6.
Stockfish9 reckons it is mate in 29(!) moves starting with 40.g4. In any event, I needed to give my king more air.
40...Bh6+ 41.Ke5 Re3+ 42.Kd4 Rxe6 43.Qd8+ Bf8
I could see no way to make progress and so felt obliged to accept my opponent's draw offer (made in my time, naturally).

Worst Game Ever?

ROUND five at the Benidorm U2000 saw me play one of my worst ever games.
I quickly got a huge advantage out of the opening, mainly thanks to prep. Indeed, Stockfish9 reckons I had a winning advantage as early as move 10, but I gradually lost the thread.

My last chance came after White had made his 30th move in Jaime Esquerdo Nogueroles (1781) - Spanton (1940)

Oblivious to White's main threat, I saved the exchange by counterattacking with 30...Re3??
There followed 31.Qh2, which wins on the spot. I played on for a few moves by sacing my queen for totally inadequate compensation, but a stronger player might well have resigned.
Instead I had the simple 30...Bf7, which also saves the exchange while leaving Black able to protect h6. Black is then slightly better thanks to White's out-of-play queen's rook.
Note that the tricky 31.Rxh6!? works brilliantly against 31...Kxh6?? as White has 32.Qh2+ Kg7 33.Qh7#. But Black is better after 31...Rh8 as White is still hampered by his offside queen's rook.

Queen's Gambit Inclined

THE Exchange Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined tends to give White a long-lasting plus-over-equals.
It used to be very popular at the top level, but has fallen out of favour among most of the best grandmasters as it is thought a competent Black should be able to eke out a draw.
Different considerations apply in tournaments such as Benidorm U2000.
Spanton (1940) - Ramiro Rueda Maria (1791), round four
Queen's Gambit Declined, Exchange Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Nbd7
This sets a little trap (6.Nxd5?? Nxd5 7.Bxd8 Bb4+) that has ensnared more than 500 players in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database, but is generally a harmless transposition.
6.e3 Be7 7.Bd3 0-0 8.Nf3 Re8 9.Qc2 c6 10.0-0 h6 11.Bh4 Ne4 12.Bxe7 Qxe7

This tabiya occurs more than a thousand times in Mega '19

13.Nd2!?
There are more than 110 examples of this move in Mega '19, but more popular are 13.Rab1, 13.Bxe4, 13.b4!? and 13.Rae1.
The surprising move among those, at first glance, is 13.b4!?, but the point is that 13...Qxb4 can be met by 14.Nxe4 (14.Bxe4 is also possible) dxe4 15.Bxe4.
13...f5
Major alternatives are 13...Ndf6 and 13...Nxd2.
14.Rae1
Proceeding with a standard Minority Attack seemed unwise with a black knight ensconced on e4. At the same time, I did not want to capture on e4 and give Black even more kingside space.
14...Qg5?!
This has been played by a 2365, but it seems to leave Black on the back foot. The analysis engines Stockfish9 and Komodo9 prefer 14...Ndf6, 14...Nb6 or 14...Nxf2.
15.f3!?
Peter Dittmar (2352) - Wolfgang Gerstner (2365),  Bundesliga 1999, saw 15.f4 Qf6 16.Nf3 Nb6 17.Ne5, with a position where the engines much prefer White (although, according to the database, Black eventually won on time).
The engines like 15.Bxe4 fxe4 16.f3 exf3 17.Nxf3, with an initiative.
15...Nxc3 16.f4!
A similar idea to the Dittmar - Gerstner game, but without leaving a black piece on e4.
16...Qf6 17.bxc3 Nf8 18.Nf3 Be6 19.Ne5 Nd7

White has much-the-better minor pieces

There now follows a long series of moves in which I am able to combine pressure against b7 with pressure against Black's kingside.
20.Rb1 Rab8 21.Rb2 g6 22.Rfb1 Nxe5 23.fxe5 Qe7 24.g4
This could be regarded as double-edged in that both kings become somewhat exposed, but I felt White had more manoeuvring room in which to exploit the situation.
24...Rf8 25.gxf5 gxf5 26.Kh1 Kh7 27.Rg1 Rg8 28.Rbb1 Rxg1+ 29.Rxg1 Rg8 30.Rf1
Avoiding more simplification, while trying to reduce Black to passively defending the f5 pawn.
30...Rg5!?
The engines prefer this to the entirely passive 30...Rf8.
31.Qf2 Qg6
The engines suggest 31...Qe7, but reckon White keeps the upper hand.
32.h4 Rg3?
Afterwards - and during the game, actually - RM was angry with himself at not having played the move he intended, ie 32...Rg4, the point being that trying to win the exchange with 33.Be2?? loses to 33...Rg3, eg 34.Kh2 f4 etc.
But White instead plays the immediate 33.Kh2, eg 33...Qh5 34.Bxf5+ Qxf5 35.Qxf5+ Bxf5 36.Rxf5, with a much-superior rook-and-pawn ending, although the game goes on.
33.Kh2 Rg4 34.Be2 f4 35.exf4 1-0

Catastrophe In The Opening

LOST badly today to a junior in round three of the Benidorm U2000.
Alejandro Garcia Oviedo (1811) - Spanton (1940)
Giuoco Piano
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.e5
This is much less popular than 6.cxd4, but it scores better in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database.
6...d5 7.Bb5 Ne4 8.cxd4 Bb6
This has been recommended by grandmaster Victor Bologan.
Almost as popular, but not scoring so well, is 8...Bb4+.
9.Nc3 0-0 10.h3!?
The main move is 10.Be3.
The text is a minor sideline that has grown in popularity in the last two years and scores very well for White.
Note that 10.Nxe4? is bad because the d4 pawn cannot be saved after 10...dxe4.

Position after White's little-played but worth-investigating 10.h3!?

10...f6
I took a long look at 10...Nxd4? 11.Nxd4 Nxf2 12.Kxf2 Qh4+ but gave it up because of 13.Ke3? But Stockfish9 points out 13...Bxd4+ 14.Qxd4 Qg3+ 15.Kd2 Qg2+ with a very murky position.
However, the engine improves in a big way by giving back one of the knights with 13.Kf3!, when 13...Qxd4 allows White to exchange queens, while 13...Bxd4?? loses to 14.g3.
11.0-0 Nxc3?
I rejected the obvious 11...fxe5 because of 12.Nxe4? (White should play 12.Bxc6, with equal chances) dxe4 13.Ng5, but 13...Qe7 is simple and good.
12.bxc3 fxe5 13.Bxc6! bxc6 14.Nxe5

Black has the bishop-pair but has to act urgently to prevent being much worse

Black's bishops provide decent compensation for his inferior queenside pawn-structure.
But White has kingside attacking chances thanks to his kingside pawn-majority and the magnificent knight at e5. Meanwhile, Black's dark-square bishop is in danger of being completely shut out of the action.
14...Qf6?
Playing for an attack on f2 that White is easily able to nip in the bud.
I rejected the superior 14...c5 because of 15.Ba3, missing that 15...Re8 indirectly saves the c5 pawn by targeting the knight. Even so, White is still significantly better.
15.Ba3 Re8 16.f4
White duly got his kingside attack and won rather easily in 30 moves.

Blunder!

MY Benidorm U2000 round-two game had an abrupt finish.

Black to make his 42nd move in Spanton (1940) - Bart De Vogeleare (1794)

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I have manoeuvred my king from g1 to a2 and am about to snaffle Black's passed pawn.
However, Black seems to be more-or-less OK after the counterattacking 42...Bg6, although his d5 pawn would remain a target.
42...Qf5??
This looks aggressive, but ignores the fact there are still mating threats when queens remain on the board.
43.Qf8+ Bg8 44.Be6 1-0

Black To Play And Win

AM one of just over 350 entries in the U2000 tournament at the Gran Hotel Bali in Benidorm on Spain's Costa Blanca.
In round one I reached a position in which Black has only one winning move.
There is nothing particularly surprising in that but, in postmorteming the game with two friends I was surprised neither could find the winning move despite trying just about every legal move in the position!

Black to make his 49th move in Jose Molto Salido (1662) - Spanton (1940)

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Black is a pawn up, but the h7 pawn is very vulnerable to White's king.
A move such as 49...Ke5 is easily parried by 50.Rd7, while 49...f5 50.gxf5 gxf5 is not much help as now all Black's pawns are vulnerable.
The solution is:
49...h5
I do not give this an exclamation mark, although it would get one under the John Nunn endgame convention, as I think the move is, or at least should be, fairly easy to find (assuming you already know the idea).
50.gxh5
50.Kf4, as suggested by one friend, is no improvement after 50...Rh3, eg 51.Kg5 Rg3 etc.
50...Re5+ 51.Kg4 Rxh5 (0-1, 56 moves)

"Impressive" Magnus

The world's best chess player (left)

SO, there I was enjoying a pint in Penderel's Oak, a Wetherspoon pub in Holborn, central London, when who should walk in but Magnus Carlsen?
Actually, I did not see him walk in - I was busy postmorteming two games from this night's London League division three match between Battersea 2 and Mushrooms 2.
With me was fellow-Battersea club member Paul Stokes - we had been sat on adjacent boards, and both drew our games against similar-strength opposition.
Anyway, Paul popped downstairs to the toilets, and I put my fleece on so we would be ready to leave when he got back.
It was then that I spotted Magnus, fresh from retaining his world championship title earlier this evening against Fabiano Caruana.
Magnus was sat at a nearby table enjoying a drink with two people who I took to be aides/friends/seconds - I probably should have recognised them, but didn't.
Paul returned from the loo and I got him to confirm my identification of Magnus, and then I went over armed with my smartphone.
I congratulated Magnus on his win, incidentally resting my right hand on what felt like a very expensive suit.
For want of anything better to say, I told Magnus: "A few years ago in Gausdal I lost to your father but beat your sister."
Magnus replied: "That's impressive" - and he wasn't being sarcastic!
But getting back to more important matters, my draw means my Battersea unbeaten streak has reached 18 games.
Updated statistics
Battersea 2018-19
Event...Colour...Grade...Opponent's Grade...Result
CLL.........B.........167................196...............…D
LL...…….B...…...167...………..159...………….D
CLL...…..B...…...167...………..161...………….W
CLL...…..B...…...167...………..190...………….D
LL...…….W...…..167...………..161...………….W
CLL...…..W...…..167...………..148...………….D
CLL...…..W...…..167...………..165...………….W
CLL...…..W...…..167...………..160...………….D
CLL...…..W...…..167...………..159...………….D
LL...…….B...…...167...………..168...………….D
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +3=7-0 for a grading performance of 182.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.

Keep On Sharpening

RIDING home on the Northern Line from Colliers Wood today after visiting a chess friend, I found myself in a carriage with the serial number 51548.
As usual the task is to use each number once, and once only, to make a balanced equation.
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My (first) solution: (5÷ 5) + 1 =  8÷ 4

Sharpening The Chess Mind

IT is said that keeping your mind sharp helps your chess.
I guess it would be hard to prove that it doesn't help, but how does one actually keep a mind sharp?
I don't know, but one thing I do do is fill in idle moments on the Tube or train by trying to make a balanced equation out of a carriage's number (this is normally displayed at each end of the carriage).
Today, for example, I went by Tube from Moorgate in Central London to Colindale in North London, incidentally visiting the RAF Museum (entry is free).

An RAF Xmas

My journey was on the Northern Line.
One carriage had the serial number 51574.
Making a balanced equation out of this - each number should be used once and once only, and must be added, subtracted, multiplied or divided - is rather easy.
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51574
One solution is: 5+1+5=7+4
Not much of a challenge there, but the other carriage was much more difficult, at least for me.
51649
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I finally cracked it: (6-4)x5=1+9
Will doing this really improve my chess? I doubt it, but I find it fun and it surely cannot hurt.

Update On Last Night's Game

HERE is the Central London League game from yesterday that I rather badly misevaluated during play.
Spanton (Battersea 3 - 167) - Paul Kennelly (TfL - 159)
French Defence, Burn Variation (by transposition)
1.Nc3 d5 2.d4
The tricky 2.e4 is much more popular but I do not believe it poses an aware-Black any problems.
2...Nf6 3.Bg5 e6 4.e4
By an unusual move-order, we have reached a mainline French, and PK chooses a variation popularised by Amos Burn.
4...dxe4 5.Nxe4 Be7 6.Bxf6
The mainline: White gives up the bishop-pair but has more space in the centre and a well-placed knight on e4.
6...Bxf6 7.Nf3 Nd7
Immediate castling is more common, but the text has been recommended by French Defence guru John Watson.
8.Bd3 b6 9.0-0 Bb7 10.Re1 0-0 11.c3 Be7!?
Preserving the bishop-pair at this point comes to be the analysis engine Stockfish9's first choice.
12.Qe2 c5 13.Rad1 Qc7

White has completed development while Black has no piece beyond the second rank, but who stands better?

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I was confident I was much better here thanks to dangerous kingside threats, but Stockfish9 and my other main engine Komodo9 reckon any White edge is worth less than a fifth of a pawn.
14.Bb1
Hoping to set up a battery on the b1-h7 diagonal seemed natural to me but it may be too slow. Komodo9 gives 14.Neg5 Bxg5 15.Nxg5 Nf6 with equality.
Stockfish9 gives 14.dxc5 Nxc5 15.Nxc5 Qxc5, again with equality.
14...Rfe8
This may be a novelty. 14...h6 was played in a drawn game at the 1986 Jersey Open.
The engines give 14...cxd4 15.Nxd4 Rad8 with approximate equality, although Komodo9 prefers Black.
15.Nfg5?!
Wrong knight, it seems.
The point is Black can now play 15...h6 16.Nf3 cxd4, maintaining the bishop-pair in a position that is opening up. The try 16.Nxf7?? Kxf7 17.Qh5+ wins for White after 17...g6? 18.Nd6+!, as I had seen in the game, eg 18...Bxd6 19.Qxg6+ Kf8 20.Qxh6+ Kf7 21.Bg6+ with a massive attack. However, Black has the simple 17...Kg8, when White's attack has run out of steam.
After 15.Neg5 Black cannot drive the knight away with 15...h6? as 16.Nxf7! is devastating, eg 16...Kxf7 17.Qxe6+ Kf8 18.Bg6.
15...g6!?
This looks weakening but Black can easily cover the apparently-weak dark squares.
16.h4!?
Hoping to weaken Black's king's position (I thought I was still better), but it was perhaps time to think about equalising.
The engines at first give 16.dxc5, eg 16...Nxc5 17.Nxc5 bxc5!? 18.Nf3 (18.Nxf7?! does not seem to work) Rab8, when White has no attack but Black has the bishops and queenside pressure.
But given enough time, Komodo9 comes to prefer my choice (Stockfish9 strongly disagrees).
16...cxd4
The classic central answer to a flank attack.
17.Rxd4 Rac8 18.Red1
Battersea 3's captain Howard Groves, who was watching the game quite closely as his opponent failed to show, thought this was too slow, and he may be right (the engines are not too bothered, but prefer 18.h5).
18...Red8
Wrong rook? The engines prefer 18...Rcd8 with a comfortable game for Black.
19.h5
19.Nd6 Bxd6 20.Rxd6 Nc5 seemed to give White nothing, and it doesn't, but it may have been the safest course.
Komodo9 very narrowly prefers 19.Nxe6!? fxe6 20.Nd6 Nf8 (20...Bxd6?? 21.Qxe6+ wins for White) 21.Nxc8 Bxc8 22.Rxd8 Bxd8 with an unclear position, although Stockfish9 reckons Black is better.
19...Bxe4?!
Giving up the bishop-pair makes the position dead-equal, according to the engines, who prefer a knight move, but cannot agree on which one, flitting from 19...Nc5 to 19...Nf8 to 19...Ne5, in each case evaluating the position as slightly better for Black.
20.Ne4 Nf8 21.Qf3 Rxd4 22.Rxd4 Qe5 23.hxg6 hxg6

Black is threatening to take over the initiative

24.Rd1?
Defending my back-rank weakness, but the correct way to do this was with 24.Qd1.
24...Rd8
The engines point out 24...Qb5, when White is on the back foot, but should hold on with accurate play.
The text allows ...
25.Rxd8 Bxd8 26.Qd3
… when White's difficulties are over.
(½-½, 51 moves)

Battersea Streak Continues

TURNED out on top board this evening for Battersea 3 against TfL (Transport for London) in division two of the Central London League.
I thought I was much better for most of the middlegame, but play eventually petered out into a drawn ending, and I was sure I must have missed a chance - or chances - to gain the upper hand.
Our captain, whose opponent did not show, watched the game quite closely, and he too was convinced I had been much better.
However, having put it into ChessBase, I find the game seems to have never left the drawing margin. Indeed, my main analysis engines, Stockfish9 and Komodo9, reckon my opponent had a slight edge for much of the game - certainly more often than I had an edge.
I will look at the game in more detail tomorrow - it should be a useful learning experience.
MY Battersea unbeaten streak has now reached 17 games.
Updated statistics
Battersea 2018-19
Event...Colour...Grade...Opponent's Grade...Result
CLL.........B.........167................196...............…D
LL...…….B...…...167...………..159...………….D
CLL...…..B...…...167...………..161...………….W
CLL...…..B...…...167...………..190...………….D
LL...…….W...…..167...………..161...………….W
CLL...…..W...…..167...………..148...………….D
CLL...…..W...…..167...………..165...………….W
CLL...…..W...…..167...………..160...………….D
CLL...…..W...…..167...………..159...………….D
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +3=6-0 for a grading performance of 183.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.

New Mega

UPGRADED to ChessBase's 2019 Mega database at the London Chess & Bridge shop yesterday, installing the database this afternoon.
Am pleased to report ChessBase has (at last!) significantly improved the installation process.
Previously, and I am using ChessBase9, you installed Mega to your hard-drive and then had to hunt around your computer to make it accessible within the ChessBase software.
Now you 'merely' install, click on File, click on Open, click on Open Database and click on Mega Database 2019.cbh.
That may sound long-winded, but it is fairly intuitive and is certainly easier than it was.
I have 862 games on Mega19, score "badly" as White and "below average" as Black, and have eight "Spanton mates."
Overall, there are more than 7.6million games in Mega19, with the latest from early October (gone are the days when Guernsey in mid/late-October made it into the updated Mega).

Malta Concluded

I FINISHED Malta by drawing with White this morning against a 2075.
That left me with a score of +4=3-2 for a Fide elo gain of 13.8.
I should be pretty pleased with that, but one of my losses was against an unrated player (although he has an ECF of 142), so my tournament performance was not as good as the rating gain would suggest.
In 2017, my first year playing in Malta, I scored a slightly more-modest +3=4-2, but gained 21.2 elo.
To be fair, my rating at this time last year was 1859, against 1940 now, so it was easier to gain elo. Even so, my performance last year was definitely better.

Internet Down

THE Malta Open is held at Hotel Topaz in the seaside town of Bugibba.
Rooms are very cheap - 29.50 euros a night, including breakfast - and the facilities are generally good, especially considering the price.
But yesterday the internet in the  hotel annexe, where I an staying, was down - the signal disappeared completely.
It was back this morning, but too feeble to be of much use, so I am blogging from the Bistroteca grill and café overlooking St Paul's Bay.
Alas, I have nothing good to report of yesterday's round-eight game. I put up little resistance against a 2150 and was beaten in well under two hours.

Hat Trick

IN the second game of today's double-rounder in Malta I scored my third win on the trot, increasing my score to +4=2-1.

Black has just played 25...h6-h5? in Spanton (1940) - Kevin Goater (2102)

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Black's last move missed a tactic, but my main analysis engines, Stockfish9 and Komodo9, reckon White has the upper hand anyway.
26.Bxc5! Qe7
Stockfish9's choice; Komodo9 narrowly prefers 26...dxc5.
27.Be3 h4 28.c5
Black's kingside attack is too slow, and I duly converted my advantage into a win.

Zugzwang In An Opposite-Coloured Bishop Ending

TODAY sees the second double-rounder at Malta, and this morning I won thanks to my opponent blundering horribly in an ending of opposite-coloured bishops.
Such endings are notoriously drawish, especially when material is equal (!), but a modicum of care is required.

White to make his 53rd move in the round-six game Walter Cools (1766) - Spanton (1940)

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53.Kd3??
White had a simple draw after 53.Kd2.
53...Kc1
But now White is in zugzwang, and so was obliged to resign.

Pleasing Combo

MANAGED to find quite a nice combination in today's round-five game in Malta.

White to make his 22nd move in Spanton (1940) - Albert Passchier (1748)

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22.Bd6
Deflecting Black's queen from Black's second rank.
22...Qf6 23.Bxb7! Kxb7 24.Qe4+
So far we have been following Stockfish9's main line, but here my opponent played the analysis engine's second choice …
24...Ka6
...although the first choice of 24...Kb6 also loses, to 25.c5+. Stockfish9's main line runs 25...Ka5 26.b4+ Ka6 27.Qc6+ with Black facing catastrophic loss of material.
25.Qc6+ Nb6 26.Re5!
Much better than 26.Be5 Qe5+.
26...Qxe5
Forced, as White threatened 27.Ra5+! Kxa5 28.Qb5#
27.Bxe5 Bxe5
Here I missed unstoppable mate starting with 28.Rd7. Instead I played 28.Qb5+? Kb7 29.Qxe5 (again 29.Rd7 was a quicker win) and was never less than winning, according to my analysis engines, but the game lasted a further nerve-wracking 46 moves.

Double Up

TODAY was the first of two double-round days in the Malta Open.
This morning I positionally crushed a 1659.
In the  evening I drew a pawn-down against a 1763 - someone who before the game began recalled beating me 15 years ago in the Linares Open (I also knew I'd lost that game).
This puts me on +1=2-1 for a loss of 9.8 Fide elo.
I am actually playing quite a bit worse than those figures would suggest - my loss came to a player who does not have a Fide elo, so my Fide rating is not penalised for losing to him.
After four rounds my tournament rating-performance, if translating the unrated's ECF grade into a rating, is 1657 - 283pts below my Fide rating of 1940.

Oh Dear, Oh Dear

THINGS went from bad to worse in Malta today when I lost in round two to an unrated player (albeit one with an ECF grade of 142).

White has just played 28.d4xe5 in Richard Boylan - Spanton (1940)

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28...dxe5??
I had to play 28...Qxe5, when 29.Qxd6 Qxe4 looks rather drawish. Stockfish9 certainly reckons so, although Komodo9 gives 30.Qd4 Kg6 31.Qd7 Re7 32.Qg4+ Kh7 33.Kh2 with what it assesses as being a slight edge for White.
At any rate that would have been much better than the game, which continued:
29.Qd7
Black has no defence. The remaining moves were:
29...Kg8 30.Qg4+ Qg5 31.Qxg5+ hxg5 32.Rd7 c5 33.bxc5 Ra8 34.Rxb7 Rxa5 35.c6 1-0

Oh Dear

I OFTEN find I can tell how a tournament will go depending on how I perform in round one.
If that turns out to be true in Malta, which began yesterday in the seaside town of Bugibba, I am in for a rough ride.
Spanton (1940) - Marloes Rogge (1442)
Queen's Gambit Declined, Exchange Variation
1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.d4 d5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 c6 6.Qc2 Be7 7.e3 h6

Overwhlemingly most popular here is 8.Bh4

8.Bxf6!?
Not a popular choice, but it has been played by some strong players, including a 2586.
My idea was to divert Black's dark-square bishop from the f8-a3 diagonal so as to speed White's minority attack.
8...Bxf6 9.b4?!
Consistent, but premature. Better first was 9.Bd3.
9...0-0
Not 9...Qe7? 10.Nxd5!
10.Bd3
This loses a pawn, but White's position was already difficult, eg 10.b5 c5!? 11.dxc5 Bf5! 12.Bd3 Bxd3 13.Qd3 Nd7! with excellent play for Black thanks to White's queenside weaknesses.
10...Qe7 11.Nge2 Qxb4
White is a pawn down and has given up the bishop-pair, but has some compensation in the form of a lead in development.
Just five moves later we reached the following position, where I missed a chance to play what seems to be a straight equaliser:

White to equalise with his 17th move

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17.g3?
Not-so-hard-to-find is 17.Nb5, especially as White's play has been directed at a queenside coup.
Clearly the reply 17...cxb5 runs into the simple 18.Bxc8.
If 17...Bxf5, then 18.Nxd6 Bxc2 19.Rxc2 c5 20.dxc5 is fine for White.
That leaves 17...Qe7?! 18.Bxc8 Rxc8 (or 18...cxb5 19.Qc6 Rb8 20.Nxd5 Nxd5 21.Qxd5 with much the better game for White) 19.Qf5, when Black is in trouble, eg 19...Qd7? 20.Qxd7 Nxd7 21.Nxa7 Ra8 22.Nxc6 Rxa2 23.Nxd5, when it is White, not Black, who is a pawn up.
Despite this miss, I reached the following late-middlegame where White still has a fair bit of compensation for the pawn-minus:

White has just played 31.Rb2-b4

31...b5?
Black had to play 31...Rc6, when my main analysis engines, Stockfish9 and Komodo9, like 32. Rc1. Black is still better, but White has decent drawing chances.
32.Rxc4?
White equalises the material, but would have been a pawn up after 32.axb5 axb5 33.Rxc4, eg 33...bxc4 34.Rxb8+ Kh7 35.Rc8, etc.
32...Nd5 33.Nxd5 Rxd5 34.axb5
Better was 34.Rc6! a5 and now the move I missed, 35.e4, eg 35...Rh5 36.Kg4 Rxh2 37.axb5 (analysis by Stockfish9 & Komodo9), when Black's rooks are discoordinated while White has a fast-moving passed pawn.
34...Rdxb5 35.Ra1 a5 36.Rc7 Ra8
Stockfish9 reckons the position is dead-equal; Komodo9 slightly prefers White. I manged to get down to a position of rook and two pawns versus rook-and-one, but the simplification meant White could not progress further.

Winning At Correspondence Chess

CORRESPEONDENCE chess is thriving - indeed it is arguably going through a golden age.
Snail-mail and even email tournaments are old hat - today's events are server-based, which eliminates postage costs and arguments over how much time has elapsed.
People who do not play correspondence chess tend to believe it has been destroyed by analysis engines.
It is true engines are used in virtually all serious tournaments, especially those organised via the Fide-recognised International Correspondence Chess Federation.
But games are still being won and lost because an analysis engine by itself cannot stand up to an engine+player.
I recently completed six games on board 2 for Sussex Servers in division 2 of the 5th British Webserver Tournament, scoring +2=3-1 against a field averaging 2196 (my ICCF rating of 2260 put me exactly halfway in the seedings).
It is not often an over-the-board game is won in under 25 moves, and that happens even less frequently at correspondence, but happen it does:
Spanton (Sussex Servers - 2260) - Marc R Wakeham (Natcor A - 2130)
English Opening
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3
Over-the-board I have tended to prefer 2.g3, as recommended in various publications by GMs Andrew Soltis, Tony Kosten and Nigel Davies, but here I decided to play more directly - at least at first.
2..g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 0-0 5.e4
More popular is 5.Nf3.
The text, heading for a Botvinnik set-up, is disliked by Kosten and Davies when Black is not committed to ...e5. But it has been played by Kasparov and Kramnik, and Soltis writes: "The Botvinnik tends to work best when Black has played (the) KN to f6, thereby cutting down control of White's d4 from the Black bishop at g7" (Winning With The English Opening, 3rd edition, 1997).
5...d6 6.Nge2 c5 7.0-0 Bd7
A rare continuation, but it is liked by Komodo9, and we soon transpose into regular lines.
8.d3 Nc6 9.h3
Preparing Be3, which in turn hopes to get in d4.

There are more than 700 games with this position in ChessBase's 2018 Mega database

Black's next move is only third-most popular, but it was played by Larsen and Gligoric, and it results in White only scoring 47 percent in Mega18.
9...Ne8 10.Be3 Qc8!?
This may be a novelty. Most popular is 10...Nd4, stopping d4, after which the main line runs 11.Rb1 a5, when six different moves have been tried for White, none with conspicuous success.
11.Kh2 Nc7
It was still possible to block White in the centre with ...Nd4.
After the text, Komodo9 considers White more-or-less has to play 12.d4 to maintain equality, while Stockfish9 reckons 12.d4 gives White the upper hand!
12.d4 cxd4 13.Nxd4 Ne6 14.Nde2 Nc5

Komodo9 at first is happy with Black's position, but can you see a positional problem for Black?

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15.f4!?
The engines like the consolidating 15.b3. Indeed, Stockfish9 comes to calculate White's advantage after this as winning!
The text prepares to exploit the positional defect in Black's position - the way most of Black's pieces are bunched on the queenside.
15...Rb8
Ignoring White's demonstration, which admittedly does not look like it adds up to much at the moment.
16.Rb1 Na5?!
Going after the weak c pawn.
Komodo9 prefers 16...Na6, while Stockfish9 gives 16...f5, but both engines reckon White is more than half-a-pawn better.
17.Nd5
Stockfish9 narrowly prefers 17.b3, but it turns out the c pawn does not need defending.
But not 17.b4? Nxc4, when the e3 bishop is hanging.
17...Re8 18.Bd4 Bxd4 19.Nxd4
19.Qxd4 is also strong.
19...Nxc4
There seems to be nothing better than taking the pawn and hoping to weather the storm.
20.f5 Bc6
20...Kg7 can be met by, among other moves, 21.Nxe7, winning the exchange.
Maybe 20...Nb6 was best, but after 21.b4 Nxd5 (Komodo9's 21...Na6 hardly helps Black's kingside deficiencies, and anyway transposes) 22.exd5 Na6 23.Qd2, White has a roaring attack.
21.Qc1 Nb6
Or 21...Bxd5 22.exd5 Ne5 23.Qh6, and Black cannot get enough defenders across to the kingside.
22.Qh6 Bxd5 23.exd5 Rf8 24.b4 1-0
After 24...Ncd7 comes 25.Ne6! eg 25...fxe6 26.fxg6 hxg6 27.Qxg6+ Kh8 28.Be4 and mate follows.

Many A Slip 'Twixt Cup And Lip

PAWN endings are simple in essence but difficult to play accurately.
I reached one last night for Battersea 3 against London Deaf in the second division of the Central London League.

Black to make his 27th move at the start of the pawn ending in Spanton (167) - Neil Dunlop (160)

White is slightly better thanks to his space advantage and more centralised king. The position should surely be drawn with correct play, but that is easier said than done.
27...Kf7 28.b4
Expanding on the queenside, but maybe this could have waited. My main analysis engines, Komodo9 and Stockfish9, prefer kingside play with 28.Kf4 or 28.g4.
28...f5 29.Kd4 Kf6 30.a4 g5 31.b5 axb5 32.bxa5 a6
White's queenside play has come to nothing. White cannot make progress there as black pawns cover the entry squares b5 and c5.
So focus should switch to the kingside.
33.c5?
This innocuous-looking move may be a loser - at least, the engines think so when it appears on the board.
I should have played a neutral consolidating move such as 33.h3.
33...h5
Advancing like this seems natural, but Black has serious winning chances after 33...g4!

Position if Black had played 33...g4!

The problem for White is he is in danger of landing in zugzwang thanks to Black having more reserve tempi.
After 34.cxd6 (at some stage White will have to make this capture or play c6 if he is to free his king) cxd6 35.g3 h5, White has already run out of useful pawn moves and will have to give way with his king.
Stockfish9 suggests 34.c6, and this may be best. Black can try 34...Kg5. After White replies 35.Ke3, Stockfish9 now reckons the position is equal while Komodo9 gives Black the upper hand (later switching to only a slight edge).
Since 35...f4+ gets Black nowhere after 36.Ke4, Black should use one of his reserve tempi by playing 36...h6.
White has to find Stockfish9's 36.h4!, although Komodo9 at first dismisses this as winning for Black. Actually, it is White who is probably winning if Black plays 36...Kxh4?? as 37.Kf4 is strong. The engines' main line runs 37...g3 38.fxg3+ Kh5 39.g4+! (39.Kxf5? is stalemate) fxg4 40.Kf5 (not 40.g3?? as White is in zugzwang after 40...Kg6 41.Kxg4 h5+ 42.Kf4 Kf6) Kh4. Black is temporarily a pawn up and will soon be two pawns up, but after 41.Ke6 Kg3 42.Kd7 Kxg2 43.Kxc7 Kf3 44.Kxd6 g3 45.c7 g2 46.c8=Q g1=Q 47.Qf5+ White has very good winning chances thanks to his more-advanced passed pawn and easier-sheltered king.
Going back to the position after 36.h4!, the main line runs 36...gxh3 37.gxh3 h5! 38.Kf3 Kh4 39.Kxf4 Kxh3 40.Kxf5 Kg2. Now White's best hope is to run for the queenside with 41.Ke6 h4 42.Kd7 h3 43.Kxc7 h2 44.Kb7 h1=Q 45.c7, with a position that will be drawn by perpetual checks.
That is a lot of analysis (most of it by the engines). My conclusion is White still has a draw after 33...g4!, but it ain't easy!
34.h3
Other moves also draw.
34...h4
It is too late for Black to pose problems with 34...g4 as it is easily countered by 35.h4.
35.f3
Not 35.g3?? g4.
35...g4 36.f4 g3 ½-½
MY Battersea unbeaten streak has reached 16 games.
Updated statistics
Battersea 2018-19
Event...Colour...Grade...Opponent's Grade...Result
CLL.........B.........167................196...............…D
LL...…….B...…...167...………..159...………….D
CLL...…..B...…...167...………..161...………….W
CLL...…..B...…...167...………..190...………….D
LL...…….W...…..167...………..161...………….W
CLL...…..W...…..167...………..148...………….D
CLL...…..W...…..167...………..165...………….W
CLL...…..W...…..167...………..160...………….D
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +3=5-0 for a grading performance of 186.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.

Adjournment Update

MY adjourned London League game from October 16 has been settled by my opponent resigning by email.
Here is the adjourned position:

Position after White played 52.Ne5-d3 in Spanton (167) - Yasser Tello (161)

Black's sealed move turned out to be 52...Bd7.
Actually, it did  not matter which bishop-move he sealed - in any event I was planning to play 53.Ne5, forcing 53...Be8.
Play would then continue 54.c4 bxc4 (54...b4? 55.c5+ followed by axb4 makes White's task easier) 55.Nxc4+ and Black's king has to give way.
MY Battersea unbeaten streak has now reached 15 games.
Updated statistics
Battersea 2018-19
Event...Colour...Grade...Opponent's Grade...Result
CLL.........B.........167................196...............…D
LL...…….B...…...167...………..159...………….D
CLL...…..B...…...167...………..161...………….W
CLL...…..B...…...167...………..190...………….D
LL...…….W...…..167...………..161...………….W
CLL...…..W...…..167...………..148...………….D
CLL...…..W...…..167...………..165...………….W
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +3=4-0 for a grading performance of 190.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.

Catastrophe In The Opening

IAKOV Neishtadt compiled Catastrophe In The Opening, which appeared originally in Russian before being published in English by Pergamon Press in 1980.
It highlighted "mistakes … committed in the initial stages of a game … which determine its outcome."
That neatly summarises my game on board two tonight for Battersea 3 in the second division of the Central London League against King's College.
Spanton (167) - Garik Mirzoyan (165)
Owen's Defence
1.e4 b6 2.d4 Bb7 3.Nc3 e6 4.Bd3 d5!?
An unusual continuation, and one that has not attracted the attention of strong players.
Most popular, at least in ChessBase's 2018 Mega database, is 4...Bb4, while John Owen, after whom the defence is named, chose 4...Nf6 in a loss to Blackburne in 1890 (28 years earlier Blackburne had played 4...g6 in a match-game loss to Steinitz).
5.exd5
The other 'obvious' move is 5.e5, but setting up a centre for Black to attack, initially with 5...c5, scores very poorly for White.
The idea of the text is to block Black's light-squared bishop (or gain the bishop-pair in the event of 5...Bxd5).
5...exd5 6.Nf3 Nf6 7.0-0 Be7 8.Re1

All 14 games in Mega18 saw 8...0-0, but my opponent chose a "catastrophe"

8...Nbd7??
Perhaps the plan was to unbalance the position by castling queenside, but after …
9.Qe2
… Black is already positionally lost.
9...c5
I thought afterwards that Black should have tried 9...Nf8, but my main analysis engines, Stockfish9 and Komodo9, give the simple 10.Bf5, when Black still cannot castle anytime soon.
10.Bf4 Kf8
This is the engines' top choice, but that only shows how bad Black's position is (1-0, 29 moves).
MY Battersea unbeaten streak has now reached 14 games.
Updated statistics
Battersea 2018-19
Event...Colour...Grade...Opponent's Grade...Result
CLL.........B.........167................196...............…D
LL...…….B...…...167...………..159...………….D
CLL...…..B...…...167...………..161...………….W
CLL...…..B...…...167...………..190...………….D
LL...…….W...…..167...………..161...………….Adj
CLL...…..W...…..167...………..148...………….D
CLL...…..W...…..167...………..165...………….W
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +2=4-0 (plus one adjourned) for a grading performance of 187.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.

Close Shave

TURNED out for Hastings & St Leonards last night away to Maidstone in the Kent League (155 Average).
I had black on board two against a 163, with my seven-year Hastings & St Leonards unbeaten streak on the line.
It was quite a poorly played game, with both players missing winning shots.
Not for the first time, I was guilty of trying for too much in an equal position, and eventually we reached the following bishops-of-the-same-colour ending:

White to make his 53rd move in George Hollands (163) - Spanton (167)

White has a huge advantage. His king is more advanced, and two of Black's pawns are on the same-coloured squares as the bishops.
53.Bf7?
White must be close to winning after the simple 53.h4, which fixes Black's kingside pawn-structure, leaving him with two pawns on light squares and effectively unable to create a passed pawn.
I suspect GH missed my next move.
53...Bf3
I considered, but quickly dismissed 53...h4! But it was the better move, and is much preferred by my main analysis engines Komodo9 and Stockfish9.
The point is that after the practically forced 54.gxh4 (anything else allows instant equality with ...hxg3), Black is not in danger on the kingside and can hope to hold the queenside. However, White would still be much better.
54.Bb3?
Advancing the h pawn two squares was still the way to go. 54.Ke3 was also strong,
54...g5 55.a4?
GH offered a draw, which I gratefully accepted. White would still be much better after 55.h4, although now 55...f4 creates counter-chances. The engines give 56.gxf4 gxh4! 57.Ke3, when White is clearly on top but the game continues.
The draw means my seven-year unbeaten streak for Hastings & St Leonards has reached eight games.