The tournaments are divided into the Championship proper, and the Barrow Trophy for lower-graded players.
Instead of an all-play-all or knockout format, each tournament is being run by controller Stephen Welch as a quasi swiss.
Approximately twice a month there will be a Grand Prix night in which any member can play, the winner at the end of the year being the player with the most points, subject to certain provisos, the main one being you must have more wins than losses.
The full rules are here: http://www.batterseachessclub.org.uk/new-year-new-comps-the-2019-battersea-chess-club-championships/
My bid to win a tournament first competed for in 1885 began with the following game:
Spanton (167) - Tim Wells (158)
Closed Sicilian
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nge2 d6 4.g3 g6 5.Bg2 Bg7 6.d3 e6 7.0-0 Nge7 8.Be3 0-0
More usual is 8...Nd4 to prevent White's next.
9.d4!?
More popular is 9.Qd2 but the text has a better score in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database.
9...cxd4?!
The normal Sicilian move, but during the game, and I have not had reason to change my opinion, I thought its main effect was to make the d6 pawn weak.
Black could instead play 9...b6, and if then 10.d5, the move White often plays if Black does not capture on d4, I see no advantage for White after 10...exd5 11.exd5 Ne5.
White could try 11.Nxd5!? to make the d pawn backward, but Black might be able to get away with snatching the b2 pawn.
10.Nxd4 a6
 |
| What would you play here? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
11.Qd2?!
The most popular move, but it has been shunned by strong players. Tal, for instance, preferred 11.h3 in a 1974 game.
11...Qc7
The problem with my move is 11...Ne5! 12.b3 Ng4 when Black can exchange off White's better bishop. Stockfish10 reckons Black has equalised, while Komodo9 believes Black is already better.
12.a4?
Apparently threatening to create a strongpoint at b6, but again missing the threat contained in the last note.
12...Na5
 |
| Black has stopped a5, at least for the present, but better was still ...Ne5 |
I thought Black needed to play 15...Rfd8 as prophylaxis against White's coming build-up against the d pawn. However, the engines prefer 15...e5!? 16.Nf3 f5 with counterplay.
16.Rfd1
Stockfish10 gives 16.Nxc6 Nxc6 17.c4 with a comfortable advantage for White.
16...Rfd8?
This is now too late. Necessary was 16...d5, when the engines give best play as 17.Nxc6 Bxc6 18.Bf4 e5 19.exd5 Bxd5 20.Bxd5!? Nxd5 21.Qxd5 exf4 22.Nxf4, assessing Black as having reasonable compensation for his pawn-minus.
17.Nxc6 Bxc6 18.a5 Rd7 19.Bb6 Qb8 20.c4 d5?
A bid for freedom that just creates weaknesses. The engines give 20...f5, when they much prefer White after 21.Nc3, 21.f3 or 21.Nf4.
21.cxd5 exd5 22.Bh3 f5 23.exf5 Nxf5
A forced sequence has given White what the engines reckon is a winning positional advantage.
24.Nd4 Rf7 25.Nxf5
Even stronger is the engines' 25.Nxc6 bxc6 26.Qe2.
25...gxf5 26.Qd3 Qe5
 |
| White is much better but the game is far from over |
Simplifying in the expectation of winning by technique, but the coming exchanges give Black serious drawing chances. Better was 27.Re1, which TW in the postmortem said was the move he feared.
27...Qxd4 28.Qxd4 Bxd4 29.Rxd4 Re8!
Seizing the open file, rather than passively trying to hold.
30.Rf4
The engines give 30.Bg2 Rd7 with White better but Black apparently holding.
30...Re5 31.Rd1 Kg7 32.Bg2 Kg6
Black has excellent counterplay after the engines' 32...Rfe7!
33.Rfd4 Rd7 34.b4 Kf6 35.f4 Re3?!
During the game I thought Black should retreat this rook, eg 35...Re8, the point being that after 36.Bxd5?? Red8 it is Black who has the winning chances. The text is active but the next note suggests it leaves White with a winning try.
36.Bxd5 Bxd5 37.Rxd5 Rxd5 38.Rxd5 Ke6
 |
| What is White's best move? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
39.Rd4
Defending the b4 pawn seemed obvious but the engines give 39.Rd8! Rb3 40.Rh8 Rxb4 41.Rxh7 with the better chances for White.
39...Re2
Better seems to be 39...Rb3! when 40.Rd8!? Rxb4 leaves Black a tempo up on the previous line, although the engines still slightly prefer White.
40.Rc4
40.Rd8 Rb2 41.Rh8 Rxb4 transposes to the note to White's 39th move, but so does the text after Black's next.
40...Rb2 41.Rd4
41.Rc7! Rxb4 42.Rxh7 is the same as 39.Rd8! etc.
41...Rc2?
Taking pressure off b4, whereas 41...h5 should hold.
42.h3?
42.Rd8 again takes the game back to what seems to be White's best line. Also strong, according to the engines, is 42.h4, and if 42...h5, then 43.Rd8.
42...h5
The game finished:
43.Kf1 Rb2 44.Rc4 Kd6 45.Rc5 Ke6 46.Rc4 Kd5 47.Rc5+ Ke4 48.Rc4+ Kf3 49.Rc3+ Ke4 50.Rc4+ ½-½
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