Sunday 5 August 2018

Blunder!

BLUNDERED horribly in my last-round game in the 50+ Seniors at the British Chess Championships.
Position after 40.Kb1-c2 in Stephen Dilleigh (2016) - Spanton (1927)
I had been on the back-foot for much of the game, but here Black seems to be OK. I wavered between 40...Rb7, with ...e5 and ...f5 to come, and the immediate 40...e5 (also suggested by Graham Bolt when we went over the game  in Hull's Punch Hotel).
40...Rb7? 41.Rxe6
I had mistakenly thought my last move forced 41.b3.
Black is doing well after 40...e5 (analysis engines also like 41.f5!?) 41.Ra6 Rc7+ (GB's 41...Rb7 is also good). More problematic is 41.Be1!, although Stockfish9 reckons the position is equal after the passive 41...Ra7.
In any event, my 40th move was a mistake, which I quickly compounded.
41...Rxb2+ 42.Kd3 Be5?? 43.Bxe5 Kf5 1-0
Black is fine if White moves his rook, but 44.Bxb2 is another matter.
All in all, I played some horrible chess in Hull - missing opportunities that came my way and giving opponents unnecessary chances, but even so I picked up seven Fide elo (and my ECF performance was about 177), so I cannot complain.

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