Saturday 27 October 2018

Horrible Loss

LOST feebly in my last-round game at Guernsey this morning.
Position after 20.Nd6-f5 in Stephen Dilleigh (1986) - Spanton (1923)
The game has already gone badly wrong by this (early) stage, but I now made matters much worse:
20...Re8??
A blunder. I had to play something like 20...Bc5, but White has all the chances.
21.Rde1 Rxf2 22.Rxe7 Rb8??
This allows a quick finish. My original idea was 22...Rxe7 23.Nxe7 Rxh2, and struggle on.
23.Nh6 1-0
I finished the tournament with a score of +1=4-2 for a rating gain of 0.6 elo.

Friday 26 October 2018

Bishop Pair v Knight Pair

EVERY serious chess player knows the bishop-pair usually conveys an advantage, or at least the prospect of an advantage to come.
Sometimes people joke about having the knight-pair, but can the knight-pair sometimes be an asset?

Black to make his 27th move in Spanton (1923) - John Wager (2029), Guernsey Round Six
A computer-run database study by IM Larry Kaufman - now a GM - showed the bishop-pair to be on average worth half-a-pawn more than bishop-and-knight or two knights.
In the diagram position, the knights are favoured by there being 14 pawns on the board, but the bishops benefit from the position being an endgame with no major pieces.
My main analysis engines, Komodo9 and Stockfish9, at first think Black has a small edge, but the more time they have to look at the position, the more they like Black. K9 comes to put Black the equivalent of virtually a pawn ahead, while S9 reckons the advantage is nearer a pawn-and-a-half.
27...h5
Black wants to open lines for his bishops.
In the post-mortem, JW thought 27...f6, with the same idea of opening lines, might have been better, but the engines prefer the text.
28.gxh5
I did not consider 28.Nh2 for long - such a passive move would almost certainly be worse.
28...gxh5 29.h4 Bf5
The light-square bishop eyes White's a pawn. If the latter advances, it becomes vulnerable to the dark-square bishop.
30.Kf2 e6
White's c pawn is also vulnerable, to the manoeuvre ...Bf8-a3-b2.
31.Ng5
Aiming to block the light-square bishop's action by playing e4.
31...f6
Opening more lines.
32.exf6
Better than 32.e4? dxe4 33.exf6 Bxf6 34.Ndxe4 Bxe4 35.Nxe4 Bxh4+, when Black emerges a pawn up, as in the game, but with a good bishop rather than a bad one.
32...Bxf6 33.e4?!
This loses a pawn, but I felt might give practical chances as White gets knight v bad bishop.
Objectively better may have been 33.Kf3 or 33.Kg3, but the position still massively favours Black.
33...Bxg5 34.hxg5 Bxe4
I was more worried about 34...dxe4!? Komodo9 agrees, but Stockfish9 prefers the text.
The ending has reached a new phase. Black has traded the bishop-pair for the win of a pawn, but is left with a bad bishop (all the black pawns are on the same coloured squares as the bishop)
35.Kg3
White ends up in zugzwang after 35.Nxe4? dxe4 36.Ke3 Kg7 37.Kxe4 Kg6 38.Kf4 a3.
35...Kg7
After this natural move, both engines for a while think the position is drawn … but it isn't!
36.a3 Kg6 37.Kf4
No improvement is 37.Kh4, although Black needs to find the idea 37...Bh1 38.Nf1 e5!, eg 39.dxe5 d4! etc.
37...h4 38.Kg4 h3 39.Kxg3 Kxh5 40.Kg3 Kf5 41.Nf1 Bd3
During the game, I thought Black should have pushed his e pawn immediately, but the text is stronger.
42.Nd2 e5 43.dxe5 Kxe5 44.Kf2
44.Kf3 is simply met by 44...d4.
44...Kf4
The engines show 44...d4!? is still playable, eg 45.Nf3+ Ke4 46.Nxd4 b4! 47.axb4 a3 48.Nb3 a2 49.Ke1 Bc2 50.Na1 Kd3 51.b5 Kxc3, and the pawn promotes.
45.Nf3 Bc4 46.Nd2 Bd3 47.Nf3 Bc2?
There was still a win by losing a tempo with 47...Bf1! 48.Nd2 Bc4, when 49.Nf3 allows 49...Ke4 while 49.Ke1 allows 49...Ke3.
The text hopes for 48.Ke2? Bd1!, but after …
48.Nd4
… Black has nothing better than …
48...Bd3
… which would allow a three-fold repetition, so a draw was agreed.

Thursday 25 October 2018

Computers Get It Wrong Again

I WAS losing for much of today's round-five game at Guernsey.
But after sacrificing the exchange to slow White's attack, I reached the following position:
Black to make his 45th move in Jan Maarten Van den Boogaarten (2009) - Spanton (1923)
The obvious move is 45...a5, after which my main analysis engines, Komodo9 and Stockfish9, reckon White's advantage is worth about three-quarters of a pawn.
Instead, I played:
45...Bd5!?
After the obvious …
46.Rxa6
… I sprang a surprise with …
46...Bxg2!
The game continued:
47.Qe5+
Forced as 47.Kxg2?? loses the rook.
47...Qxe5 48.fxe5 Bd5
When I loaded the game into ChessBase, the engines reckoned White was winning. However, as in my round-three game, this is an ending computers do not understand.
The engines eventually tone their evaluation down to plus-over-minus, but most humans, I am sure, would realise this position is dead-drawn.
49.h4 Bc4 50.Rf6 Bd5 51.Kg3 Bb3 52.Kf4 Bd5 53.Ke3 Be6 54.Kd4 Kf8 55.Rf2 Kg7 56.Kc5 Kf8 57.Kd6 Kg7 58.Rb2 Bc4 59.Ke7 Be6 60.Rb6 Bc4
But not 60...Kg8?? 61.Rxe6, which wins for White.
61.Rd6 ½-½
Going back to the position after 45...Bd5!?, Black had a major alternative in 46.Rc3. I had planned 46...Qe2, when the engines give a move I had not considered: 47.Rg3.
They continue 47...Qe4 48.Qe5+ Qxe5 49.fxe5, evaluating the resulting position as winning for White.
I find that hard to believe, and they have been unable to prove a win in analysis (with me taking the Black pieces). Even after reaching a position with White having just h pawn and rook against g pawn and bishop, they still believe White is winning, but it ain't so!

Wednesday 24 October 2018

Guernsey Round Four

FOR the second-day running I got down to an ending of bishops of the same colour.
White to make his 42nd move in Spanton (1923) - John Cummins (1748), but is the position winning for White, better for White but not necessarily winning, roughly equal, better for Black but not necessarily winning, or winning for Black?
****
****
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****
This is about as simple-a-win for White as is possible in a position with equal material.
The key points are: Black's bishop is bad, ie it is severely restricted by its own pawns while being unable to attack White's pawns; White threatens at the right moment to create a passed pawn near a queening square on the kingside; White's king is nearer the centre and, by extension, nearer Black's vulnerable queenside.
42.a4
It makes sense to keep Black's queenside pawns on dark squares, partly to stop the black pawns rolling forward but also so White's king can enter via the light squares.
42...Bf6
Other moves were possible but none was any good - Black is totally lost.
43.Kd3 Kd7 44.Kc4 Ke6
44...Kc6 keeps White's king in its own half of the board, but then comes 45.g6 hxg6 46.Bxh6 etc.
45.Kb5 Bd8 46.Kc6 Be7
Or 46...Kf6 47.Kd7 Be7 48.Kc7 (there are other wins, but this is the simplest).
47.Kxb6 Bd8+ 48.Kxc5 1-0
I knew from the diagram that the position was a very easy win for White. If you were not so sure, you would probably benefit from reviewing any literature you have that covers good and bad bishops.

Tuesday 23 October 2018

Trying Too Hard As Black

HAVING tried for too much in yesterday's Guernsey Open game as White, I promptly did the very same today as Black.
White has just offered a draw as he played 41.Kd3-e3 in the round-three game Antoine Canonne (1902) - Spanton (1923)
41...Kd7
There is no justification for playing on here (my main analysis engines Komodo9 and Stockfish9 rate the position as dead-equal), but then again there should be no harm in trying a few more moves - I do hate it when a game finishes!
42.Bf8 Bb6 43.Kf3 Ke8?
Partly caused by trying for more than is justified by the position, and partly by allowing myself to be distracted by a rook-sacrifice on an adjacent board.
I only give the move one question-mark as, amazingly, it seems Black still has the draw in hand.
44.Bd6 Kf7 45.Bxe5
The engines agree, hardly surprisingly, that White is much better, but neither thinks White's advantage is worth a full pawn.
45...Ke6 46.Bb8 Bd8
The engines prefer 46...Ba5 or 46...Kf6, but it is not clear the text is inferior.
One problem with analysing this ending is that the engines tend to overestimate White's chances, as will be graphically illustrated at move 49.
47.Kf4 Bf6 48.e5!?
AC was doubtful about this in the post-mortem, but without pushing the e pawn it is hard to see how White makes progress. The engines reckon White is winning.
48...Be7
Can you find a win for White?
****
****
****
****
****
49.Ke4
White cannot improve his position after this.
Critical was 49.Bd6! which the engines reckon is winning after the forcing 49...Bxd6 50.exd6 Kxd6 51.Kg5 (51.g4? hxg4 52.Kxg4 Ke6 is a trivial draw) Ke5 52.Kxg6 Kd4 53.Kxh5 Kxc4.
Both engines have White winning with 54.g4 or 54.Kg6! but the Nalimov endgame tablebase shows the position to be drawn. However, I have given 49.Bd6! an exclamation-mark as it would have given practical winning chances, especially after 54.Kg6!, which leaves White with a g pawn rather than an h pawn after both players have promoted.
AC had not seen much of this, thinking that giving up the e pawn to get the bishops off was an easy draw. He was right in the sense that it was a draw, but it would have been very possible for Black to go wrong.
The game finished:
49...Bf8 50.Bc7 Kd7 51.Ba5 Ke6 52.Bd2 Bg7 53.Bc3 Bf8 54.Ba5 Bg7 55.Bc7 Bf8 56.Bd8 Kd7 57.Bf6 Ke6 58.Kf3 Kf5 59.Bh8 Bh6 60.Bf6 Bf8 61.Bh8 Bh6 62.Bf6 ½-½
A lucky, and undeserved, escape.

Monday 22 October 2018

Trying Too Hard As White

I HAVE  a database of my games - 3,448 in all.
There are some rapid and some correspondence games, but the vast majority are at normal time limits.
As Black I score 47 percent - slightly above the average for black of 45-46 percent in large databases. But as White I score 51 percent - significantly below the average for white of 54-55 percent.
Why is this? I have come to the conclusion the main problem is trying for too much as White.
Take today's game as an example.
Spanton (1923) - Mike Waddington (2096), Guernsey Round Two
Leningrad Dutch
1.c4 f5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 0-0 6.e4 e5
Much more popular are 6...fxe4 and 6...d6, but the text has been tried by some strong players.
7.exf5!?
This scores just 28 percent in ChessBase's 2018 Mega database, but it is the choice of my main analysis engines, Stockfish9 and Komodo9.
The idea is to capture on f5 when Black is forced to take back with a pawn rather than a piece.
7...gxf5 8.Nge2 Nc6 9.d4?!
This extravagant move has been played by a 2460, but it is asking too much of the position.
Natural was 9.0-0, and if the normal 9...d6, then 10.f4!? fixes Black's f pawn, while the engines also like 10.d4!? - better now there is no check on the e file.
9...e4?
Black has no difficulties after the simple 9...Nxd4 10.Nxd4 exd4 11.Qxd4 Re8+.
The problem with the text is it gives White a juicy outpost at f4.
10.0-0?
"Castle because you must or because you want to, not because you can."
It was important to play 10.Bg5, setting up a pin that prevents Black grabbing his fair share of the centre with 10...d5.
10...d6?
Failing to challenge White's central control.
After 10...d5 11.cxd5 Nxd5 12.Nxd5 Qxd5 13.Be3, White may well be better, eg 13...Rd8 is met by 14.Nf4 and 15.d5, but Black is in no danger of being overrun.
11.Bg5 Qe8
Try to guess White's boneheaded 12th move
****
****
****
****
****
****
12.Bxf6?
Continuing development with 12.Qd2, or immediately challenging Black's e pawn with 12.f3, are superior ideas.
Stockfish9 very much likes 12.Rc1?!, which I confess I do not understand.
12...Rxf6 13.Nd5 Rf7 14.b4?
Ridiculously trying for too much.
Again, attacking Black's e pawn with 14.f3 was good.
14...Be6 15.Ne3?
Retreating in a position like this is unlikely to be the answer.
Stockfish9 gives 15.Qd2 Bxd5 16.cxd5 Ne7 17.Nc3, with a small edge for Black.
Komodo9 prefers 15.f3 Bxd5 16.cxd5 Nxb4 17.fxe4 fxe4 18.Qb3, with some compensation for the pawn.
15...Nxb4 16.d5?
I rejected 16.Rb1 because of 16...c5, but the text is weaker.
16...Bc8 17.Rb1 Nd3 18.f3 Bh6 19.f4 Bg7 20.Nc1 Bd4 21.Qxd2 Nxc1
I now picked up my queen, intending to play 22.Qxd4??, saw the reply 22...Ne2+, and resigned. I should have played on with 22.Qxc1, but perhaps early resignation was for the best.

Sunday 21 October 2018

Guernsey Time Again

PLAYING in the 44th Guernsey chess festival, which began today.
Daniel Rosen (2081) - Spanton (1923), Round One
Ruy Lopez, Closed Berlin
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3
Much less popular than 4.0-0, but in ChessBase's 2018 Mega database it scores a very slightly better percentage. In practice, many top grandmasters play both variations.
4...Bc5 5.0-0 Nd4
Again the much-less popular choice - behind 5...d6 - but scoring a much better percentage.
6.Nxd4
Overwhelmingly the first choice of players at all levels, but it is not clear it is any better than, say, 6.Bc4.
6...Bxd4 7.c3 Bb6 8.Nd2 c6 9.Ba4 0-0 10.Nf3
The commonest move, but note that after …
10...d6
… we have a position that is symmetrical, except that Black's king's bishop is slightly better-placed than White's king's bishop.
11.Bc2
DB said in the post-mortem that best might be 11.Bb3, but he could not bring himself to play it as then the position would be fully symmetrical … with Black to move.
11...Re8
Played to prevent 12.d4.
12.Qe2 Qe7 13.Be3 d5 14.Bxb6 axb6 15.Bb3
If 13.exd5, then 15...Nxd5.
15...dxe4 16.dxe4 Be6 17.Qe3 Nd7 18.Bxe6 Qxe6 19.b3 Nc5 20.Rfd1
Black to reply to White's 20.Rfd1
****
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20...f6
This is OK, but it is really little more than a safety-first move.
DB feared 20...Qg6, when Stockfish9 gives 21.Nd2 Rad8 22.b4 Na4 23.Nc4, with maybe a tiny pull for Black.
Perhaps stronger is 20...Qg4, and if 21.Nd2, then 21...Rxa2! Stockfish9 continues: 22.h3 Rxa1 23.Rxa1 Qg6, when Black is a (doubled) pawn up.
After the text, the game fairly quickly petered out to a draw.
21.h3 Red8 22.Qe2 Qe7 23.Ne1 Ra3 24.Rxd8+ Qxd8 25.Rd1 Qe7 26.Rd2 Ra8 27.f3 Ne6 28.Qe3 Qc5 29.Kf2 Qxe3+ 30.Kxe3 Rd8 31.Rxd8+ ½-½

Thursday 18 October 2018

Baker's Dozen

EXTENDED my Battersea unbeaten streak to 13 games by drawing tonight against a 148 junior who beat me rather easily at the Berks & Bucks congress in August.
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
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +1=4-0 (plus one adjourned) for a grading performance of 181.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.

White To Play And Win

PLAYED my first game of the season for Hastings & St Leonards last night, in the Kent League (140 Average) at Rainham.
Black has just played the normal-looking 24...Rf8-e8?? in Spanton (167) - David Barnes (161), but now it is White to play and win
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The game saw 25.Rxe8+? Qxe8 26.Qe5+! Qxe5 (forced) 27.Nxf7+ Kg7 28.Nxe5 (1-0, 54 moves).
But analysis engines point out an immediate win with 25.Qh3!, snagging Black's rook.
My win means I now have a seven-year unbeaten streak for Hastings. That's the good news; the not-so-good news is that the streak consists of seven games.

Wednesday 17 October 2018

Adjournments

ONE of the quaint things about the London League is its time controls.
On odd-numbered boards the default is a quickplay finish on the night, while on even-numbered boards the default is slowplay with adjournments.
If both players on a board agree, they can use the non-default time control. Usually this happens with players on an even-numbered board agreeing to quickplay.
Last night, playing for Battersea 2 in the third division, I was on board four, and my opponent insisted on slowplay (this was the same opponent whom I beat when he lost on time, not knowing the time control, earlier this month in the Central London League).
On that occasion he was playing for Pimlico Knights - yesterday for Wimbledon 2.
Position after White played 52.Ne5-d3 in Spanton (167) - Yasser Tello (161)
Black sealed in this position, and we have tentatively agreed a resumption on November 6.
I do not intend giving my analysis here, for rather obvious reasons, but the win is more trivial (famous last words) than might be assumed.
Black's bishop is very bad, and the blockade he has tried to set up is a lot less solid than it might appear at first sight.

Sunday 14 October 2018

Black Is Black - A Tale Of Two Endings

A FAIRLY reliable rule in chess is that if you are given the white pieces in the first round of a tournament with an odd number of rounds, you can bet your bottom dollar you will at some stage get two blacks in a row.
At least, it feels a fairly reliable rule, so I was not surprised to get black today in rounds four and five of the Dorset Open in Bournemouth.
Both games reached an ending.
Position after White played 26.gxf3 in the round-four game Michael Duggan (192) - Spanton (167)
White had to capture with the pawn as otherwise there was a back-rank mate.
Stockfish9 reckons Black has full equality, while Komodo9 gives White a very small edge.
It is embarrassing how quickly I manage to get a lost position.
26...Rd1+?
Patzer sees a check, patzer gives a check. The problem with this move is that it spends a tempo driving White's king to where it wants to go.
The engines give 26...Rd4 27.Kg2 Kd7, with next-to-no advantage for White.
27.Kg2 Kd7?
Another mistake.
It was not too late to play 27...Rd4, although Black has lost a clear tempo on the above-given line.
28.f4
White has the upper hand, thanks to the weakness of Black's kingside.
28...g6 29.Rh3 h5 30.f5 gxf5 31.Rxh5 Rd3?
Pointless, as White's reply helps him reorganise his forces.
32.Rh3
White is already winning, according to the engines (1-0, 53 moves).
*******************************************************************************
Position after Black played 33...Rc7-a7 and offered a draw in the round-five game Bruce Jenks (180) - Spanton (167)
White is a (doubled) pawn up, but Black's pieces (apart from the king) are more active.
We had just oscillated by playing Nb3-c1-b3-c1/Rc7-a7-c7, and I could see no sensible way for either player to vary.
34.Rb2!?
White activates his rook, relying on the weakness of Black's c pawn.
34...Rxa3 35.Kd2
Protecting the d3 pawn before continuing his activation.
35...Ra8?!
It was only after moving (much too quickly - I later reached more than an hour ahead on the clock) that I saw 35...Rc3!? After 36.Kd2 h5 37.Rb5 Kg7 38.Rxc5 Kg6, Stockfish9 gives Black the upper hand, but Komodo9 reckons the position is dead-equal.
36.Rb5 Rc8 37.a4?!
The 'obvious' 37.Nb3 Re8+ 38.Kf2 Bxd3 39.Rxc5 seemed equal.
The text looks promising at first sight, but I guess BJ missed the following backward bishop-move.
37...Bd7 38.Ra5
I wondered whether White should sac the exchange with 38.Nb3!? Bxb5 39.cxb5. It certainly looks tricky, and is hard to evaluate, especially over-the-board.
38...Rb8 39.Kf2!?
Running to protect the h2 pawn.
The engines prefer 39.Rxc5, but after 39...Rb2 and ...Rxh2, Black's connected passed pawns look very dangerous.
39...Rb2+ 40.Ne2+?
But this is definitely wrong.
White had to play 40.Kg3, when 40...Rb1 41.Ne2 Rd2 is promising for Black.
White has just played 40.Nc1-e2?
40...g3+! 41.hxg3 Bg4
The knight cannot be saved.
42.Ra8+ Kg7 43.Re8 Ra2??
It's never too late to blunder. This should have let White off the hook.
44.Re5??
Returning the favour.
44.Ke1 is very close to equal, but after the text the game does not last long.
44...f6 45.Rxc5
Or 45.Re7+ Ke8 46.Re4 Bf5 (another backward bishop-move).
45...Rxe2+ 46.Kf1 Re3 47.a5 Rxd3 48.a6 Ra3 49.Rc7+ Kg6 50.a7 d3 51.Ke1 Ra2 1-0.
*******************************************************************************
I finished with a score of +3=1-1 for a grading performance of 192.
That would have been enough, by a half-point, to win the £50 grading prize. But I actually finished equal 2nd-3rd, which means I should receive a cheque for £130 within 14 days …

Saturday 13 October 2018

Dorset Day Two

GOT a favourable pairing against a 136 in this morning's second round of the Dorset Open in Bournemouth.
My opponent dropped a pawn in the early middlegame, later blundered an exchange and eventually resigned.
This afternoon I was on the receiving end of another unmerited gift.
Spanton (167) - Ian Deswarte (166)
Sicilian Moscow
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Nd7
This is one of those lines where I internally wince when the opponent plays it, and yet my record against it is pretty good: +8=5-4 (62%).
4.c4!?
This does poorly in ChessBase's 2018 Mega database - White scores just 38 percent - but it has been played by some strong players, including Kavalek and Kuzmin.
The idea, I believe, is to be ready to give up the bishop-pair but to get a Maroczy Bind in return.
White's most-popular move is 4.d4, but then Black can play 4...Nf6 before capturing on d4, the main line running 5.Nc3 cxd4 6.Qxd4, when 6...a6 is usually met by 7.Bxd7+ Bxd7. Black gains the bishop-pair without accepting a Maroczy Bind. But the whole line is controversial; after the continuation 8.Bg5, White scores 65 percent.
4...g6 5.d4 cxd4 6.Nxd4 Bg7 7.Nc3 a6 8.Bxd7+ Bxd7
So we have a game of Black's bishops versus White's space advantage.
9.Be3 Nf6 10.f3
Has Black a move that immediately breaks the bind?
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The answer is: No.
ID played 10...b5? but after 11.cxb5 axb5 12.Ndxb5 Qa5 13.Nd4 he had inadequate compensation for the pawn. True, Black has the bishop-pair and Benko-style pressure against White's queenside, but White is very solid and his two passers did tell in the end (1-0, 53 moves).
Much better was 10...Rc8, putting strong pressure on White's impressive-looking but somewhat fragile structure. Stockfish9 reckons the position is roughly equal, while Komodo9 prefers Black.

White To Play And Win

PLAYING at the Dorset Congress in the Elstead Hotel, Bournemouth.
Started with a draw last night against a 188, but I should have done better.
White to play and win in Spanton (167) - Patrick Duncan (188)
****
****
****
****
****
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****
I played 59.Kf4?? and the game was drawn after 59...Kxc2 60.Kg5 Kc3 61.Kxh5 Kb4 62.Kxg4 Kxb5 63.c7 Nd6 64.Kf4 Kc6 ½-½
Winning was 59.Ke4, and if 59...Kxc2 then 60.Kd5 Nb6+ 61.Kc5, or 59...Nd6 60.Kd5 Nxb5 61.Ne3 etc.

Friday 12 October 2018

Still In The Black

EXTENDED my Battersea unbeaten record to 12 games by drawing this evening as Black - the colour I have had in all four club games this season - against a 190.
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
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +1=3-0 for a grading performance of 189.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.

Friday 5 October 2018

Timely Win

EXTENDED my Battersea unbeaten streak to 11 games this evening by beating a 161 in a Central London League match that ended in a 2.5-2.5 tie.
Black has just played 39...Kg6-h5 in Yasser Tello (161) - Spanton (167), Pimlico Knights v Battersea 2
White lost on time, unaware of the time control (he had asked his captain during the game, but there was apparently a miscommunication).
In the brief p.m., YT suggested 40.Rxg7? but that loses more-or-less instantly to the analysis engines' 40...Qe5+ 41.g3 Qf6 (my planned 40...Qf4+ should also win).
More challenging is 40.Qxg7, as proposed by Joe Skielnik, although Black still has a substantial advantage after 40...Qf4.
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
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +1=2-0 for a grading performance of 189.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.

Wednesday 3 October 2018

Ten Games Unbeaten

MY unbeaten streak for Battersea reached ten games tonight.
Jeremy Law (159) - Spanton (167)
Board 2, Metropolitan 2 v Battersea 2, London League Division 3
Accelerated Dragon
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 0-0
7...Qa5 is the major, more positional, alternative.
8.Bb3 a5!?
More popular, at least in ChessBase's 2018 Mega database, is to head for regular Dragon lines with 8...d6.
Black's 8...a5 keeps the game in Accelerated lines
9.a4
White more often plays 9.0-0 or 9.f3.
After 9.0-0, the main line runs 9...a4 10.Nxa4 Nxe4 11.Nb5 Ra6, and now both 12.c4 and 12.Qe2 score very well for White.
After 9.f3, the main line runs 9...d5 10.Bxd5 Nxd5, when 11.Nxd5 and 11.exd5 are equally popular in Mega 2018, and both score well for White.
9...d5?
Confusing my lines. Much better is 9...Ng4 10.Qxg4 Nxd4, with equal chances, although in practice White scores well with 11.Qh4.
10.Nxc6?
White would be a sound pawn up, and have the more-active pieces, after 10.exd5 Nb4 11.Ndb5.
After the text, the game quickly petered out to a draw.
10...bxc6 11.exd5 cxd5 12.Nxd5 Nxd5 13.Qxd5 Qxd5 14.Bxd5 Rb8 15.0-0 Rxb2 16.Bb3 Rxb3 17.cxb3 Bxa1 18.Rxa1 Be6 19.Bd2 Bxb3 20.Bxa5 Rc8 21.Bd2 Rc2 22.Be3 Ra2 24.Rxa2 ½-½
Updated Statistics
Battersea 2018-19
Event...Colour...Grade...Opponent's Grade...Result
CLL.........B.........167................196...............…D

LL...…….B...…...167...………..159...………….D
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +0=2-0 for a grading performance of 178.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.