Drunken Knights play their home matches in an upstairs room at a pub near the British Museum, but nevertheless I found myself playing a 12-year-old boy.
Spanton (167) - Kennan Kesterson (148)
French Winawer
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.Bd2 Ne7 6.a3 Ba5?!
In an earlier post https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2018/12/30-new-years-in-hastings.html I contemptuously dismissed the text as "just about possible." It is one thing to speak of a move with contempt; quite another to demonstrate one's verdict over the board.
In fact 6...Ba5?! has been played by several players rated over 2400, according to ChessBase's 2019 Mega database, and GM Jonny Hector has lost against it as White (and his opponent was rated under 2200).
7.dxc5 Nbc6 8.b4 Bc7 9.f4 Nf5
This may be a novelty. Previous games had seen 9...0-0 and 9...a6.
10.Nf3 f6 11.exf6 Qxf6 12.Bd3 0-0
12...Ne3 comes to nothing after 13.Bxe3 Qxc3 14.Bd2.
13.Nb5 Bb8 14.0-0 Ncd4?
Black does not have compensation for the pawn anyway, but this piece sac is unsound.
15.Nfxd4 Nxd4 16.Bc3 e5 17.fxe5 Qxe5 18.Rxf8+ Kxf8
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| White to play and win |
*****
*****
*****
*****
19.Nxd4?
Almost any reasonable-looking move wins easily for White here, but this is not one of them. Simplest was 19.Bxd4 Qxh2+ 20.Kf1 and, if 20...Qh1+, then the move I missed: 21.Bh1.
19...Qxh2+ 20.Kf1 Qh1+ 21.Kf2 Qh4+ 22.Ke2 Bg4+ 23.Nf3 Bf4?
Missing a draw by 23...Bxf3+ 24.Kxf3 Qg3+ 25.Ke2 Qxg2+ 26.Ke3 Qg3+ etc.
Note that calamitous for White would be 24.gxf3? Qh2+, when it is Black who wins, eg 25.Kf1 Bg3 26.Qd2 Qh1+ 27.Ke2 Re8+ 28.Be4 Rxe4+! 29.fxe4 Qg2+ 30.Kd1 Qf1+ 31.Qe1 Bxe1 32.Bxe1 dxe4 and Black wins the ending. Or 25.Ke3 Bf4+ 26.Kd4 Qh5 27.Qe2 Re8 28.Re1 Rxe2 29.Rxe2 Qxf3 and Black again should win comfortably (analysis by Stockfish 10 and Komodo9).
24.Kf1 Qh5 25.Bb5
With Black's rook unable to join the attack, the rest is (relatively) easy. The remaining moves were:
25...a6 26.Ba4 Be3 27.Ke2 (not 27.Qe2?? Qh1+ 28.Ng1 Qxh1#) Bf4 28.Qd4 Bh6 29.Qe5 Qg6 30.Qd6+ Kg8 31.Qxg6 hxg6 32.Rd1 1-0
The result means my Battersea unbeaten streak has reached 19 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
LL...…….W...…..167...………..148...………….W
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +4=7-0 for a grading performance of 183.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.
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