Dodgy Win

GOT back to winning ways last night by beating a junior in the Battersea Club Championship, but it was a far-from-convincing performance.
Spanton (171) - Luca Buanne (135)
French Classical, Steinitz Variation
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Nf3
Recommended by Tarrasch, but French Defence gurus like John Watson tend to regard it as harmless, although it has been favoured by attacking players such as Morozevich.
5...c5 6.dxc5
This looks strange but is difficult to avoid. Stockfish10 suggests 6.Ne2!?, which has been played by some grandmasters. Komodo9 suggests 6.Nb5, but flashes red - meaning a mistake - as soon as the move is executed on the board!
6...Bxc5 7.Bd3 Nc6 8.Bf4 0-0?

No prizes for guessing White's next

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9.Bxh7+ Kxh7 10.Ng5 Kg6 11.Qd3+
This seems clearer than 11.Qg4, when 11...Ndxe5, 11...Ncxe5 and 11...f5 have to be considered.
11...f5 12.Nxe6?!
There was no need to rush this capture.
Objectively better was 12.Qg3, when the engines give best-play as the forcing line 12...Ndxe5 13.Nxe6+ Ng4! 14.Nxd8 Bxf2+ 15.Qxf2 Nxf2 16.Nxc6 Nxh1. After 17.Ne5+ or 17.Nd4, White is the exchange down but should win Black's knight trapped at h1, and Black's d pawn is weak.
My choice has the practical advantage that Black's king remains exposed to attack.
12...Qh4!
Keeping the game going.
12...Ndxe5 transposes to the last note after 13.Qg3+.
13.g3 Qh8 14.Nxf8+ Qxf8 15.Nxd5 Ndxe5 16.Bxe5 Nxe5 17.Nf4+
The engines prefer 17.Qe2, leaving the knight where it is.
17...Kh6
Better was 17...Kh7! The point is that after 18.Qe2 Ng4, White cannot play 19.h3?? (White should choose 19.0-0-0) because 19...Nf2 20.Qh5+ comes to nothing as Black's king finds shelter on g8.
18.Qe2 Ng4 19.0-0-0
Also possible was 19.h3 as 19...Bxf2+?? (correct is 19...Nf6) loses a piece to 20.Kf1.
After the text, Black is doing fine materially - a pair of bishops is roughly equivalent to a rook and two pawns. Indeed he might even be better in the middlegame if his pieces were coordinated. But Black's lag in development and his exposed king mean White has the advantage.

What should Black play?

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19...Qe7?!
Given all the above, getting the queens off is understandable, but the engines prefer slower play with moves such as 19...Nf6, 19...g6, 19...Kh7 or 19...Qf7.
20.Qxe7 Bxe7 21.Rhe1 Bf6 22.Re8 Kh7
The engines want Black to play 22...Nxf2+!?, although after 23.Rh8+ Kg5 24.Rd2 (24.Rh5+? loses to 24...Kg4, eg 25.Rd2 g5! 26.Rxf2 gxf4 27.Rh7 f3 when the bishops will come into their own) Ne4 25.Rh5+ Kg4 26.Rd3 Nxg3 27.hxg3 White's extra exchange should tell.
23.f3 Nf2?!
23...Ne5 was the obvious move but White is still winning after 24.Nd5 or 24.Nh5.
24.Rf1
Simpler is the natural 24.Rd2, as after 24...Nh1 25.Re1 it is White who is helped by opening the h file with 25...Nxg3 26.hxg3.
24...Bd4 25.Re2 g5 26.Re7+ Kg8 27.Nd5 b5?
This makes things worse, but Black did not have a good move.
28.c3 Bc5 29.Rc7 Nd3+ 30.Kc2 Be6 31.Kxd3 Bxd5 32.Rxc5+ Bc4 33.Rxc4+ bxc4 34.Kxc4 (1-0, 53 moves)

Instructive Loss

MY disappointing recent form for Battersea continued last night when I lost for the second team against Athenaeum 2 in division three of the London League.
The result means I have lost seven of my last 10 outings for the club, but at least the game had several instructive moments.
Ti Chen (169) - Spanton (171)
London System
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 e6
This anticipation of White's next has been played by Kasparov, Anand and So.
3.Bf4 Bd6 4.Bg5?
This is simply a loss of tempo.
4...f6
Rather surprisingly the most popular move in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database is to give the tempo back with 4...Be7? Possible, however, is 4...Nf6, when Black is a tempo up on the Torre Attack.
5.Bh4 Nh6?!
This will come to the same thing as the more flexible 5...Ne7 if Black goes after White's light-square bishop, but it is not clear this is Black's best plan.
6.e3 Nf5 7.c4!?
White cannot save his bishop-pair but 7.Bg3 was the obvious move so 7...Nxg3 8.hxg3 would give White a half-open h file. But the text is an interesting choice in that White is arguing Black's win of the bishop-pair is costing valuable tempi.
7...Nxh4 8.Nxh4 Qd7
Stockfish10 and Komodo9 prefer 8...0-0, which I hardly even considered, thinking it to be castling into a White attack.
9.c5 Bf8
The engines give 9...Be7!? intending to meet 10.Qh5+ with 10...Kd8, a position they assess as equal.
10.Qh5+?!
The engines much prefer 10.Nc3.
10...Qf7 11.Qxf7+ Kxf7 12.Nc3 Bd7 13.b4 b6 14.Nb5?

A critical moment - how should Black exploit White's last move? 

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14...Bxb5
Black is still better after this but best was 14...a6! when 15.Nxc7 loses to 15...Ra7, and the ignominious retreat 15.Nc3 is well met by 15...a5, collapsing White's queenside.
15.Bxb5 c6 16.Bd3 Nd7?
I rejected 16...a5 because after 17.cxb6 Bxb4+ 18.Ke2 Black's pieces are a little uncoordinated. The engines give 18...Nd7 19.b7 Ra7 20.Rhc1 Rxb7 21.Rxc6 with equality.
This would have been better for Black than the text but is irrelevant in that Black has a major improvement in this line with 17...axb4! The half-open a file makes all the difference, eg one line given by the engines runs 18.Ke2 Nd7 19.Rhc1 Nxb6 (19...c5 is also good) 20.Rxc6 Na4 with a lovely outpost for the knight at c3.
17.e4!?
An interesting attempt to seize the initiative.
17...g5!?
At first the engines reckon 17...a5 leaves Black much better, but they come to see virtues in White's position after 18.exd5.
18.Nf3 Bg7?
The bishop has few prospects on the long dark diagonal. I thought there were latent threats to d4 and through it to the a1 rook, but instead my bishop becomes entombed.
19.exd5 exd5 20.0-0 h5 21.Rac1?
A waste of time. Simple and good was the immediate 21.Bf5.
21...b5 22.Bf5 Rhd8
This move would have been problematic after 21.Bf5 thanks to the reply 22.b5! But now it keeps Black in the game, although White is much better - just compare the bishops!
23.Rfe1
The engines prefer adding queenside pressure with 23.a4.
23...Nf8 24.g4
Again the engines prefer a4.
24...h4?
I rejected 24...hxg4 because of 25.Bxg4 with Bh5+ to follow, but 25...a5 gives Black sufficient counterplay as White's invasion down the e file turns out to be no more dangerous than Black's down the a file.
25.Re3 Re8 26.Rce1
I was more concerned about 26.Ra3, forcing 26...a6, but perhaps Black is holding. The engines like 26.a4, with White much better after 26...a6 or 26...bxa4, in each case met by 27.Ra1.
26...Rxe3 27.fxe3!
White hopes to get his central-queenside pawns rolling while Black's three kingside pawns are held up by White's two pawns and the marvellously placed light-square bishop.
27...Ne6?
Counterplay with ...a5 was still the best chance, but 28.e4 keeps White on top.
28.e4 Nf4!?
Black is lost whatever he plays, according to the engines, but the text at least gives the prospect of counterplay if White slips up.
29.e5?
And he does immediately. This is very much the wrong idea. Black is pretty much helpless after 29.Bd7 or 29.exd5.
29...a5
White's central-queenside play is over, so Black is at least equal.
30.a4?
White should have settled for passive defence with 30.a3 axb4 31.axb4 Ra4 32.Rb1.
30...axb4?
Winning is 30...bxa4. I rejected it because of 31.b5, but then comes 31...cxb5, when 32.c6 fails to 32...Ra7 or even 32...a3!?
31.axb5 Ra2?
If this attack against White's king does not work, it is just  a waste of time, and it definitely does not work. Correct was 31...cxb5 32.c6 Ra7 with equality.
32.Kf1?
There is no mating attack, or even a draw by repetition, so White should have got on with it on the queenside, winning with 32.bxc6 or 32.b6, eg 32.bxc6 Nh3+ 33.Kh1 Nf2+ 34.Kg2! Nd3+ 35.Kf1 Nxe1 36.c7 Ra8 37.Ke1 etc.
32...Nh3?
There was still a draw to be had by ...cxb5.
33.Re2 Ra1+ 34.Ne1 cxb5
Too late.
35.c6 Ra7 36.Rc2 Rc7 37.Nd3
Even stronger was 37.e6+!, obliging Black to further block his bishop with 37...Ke7 or to retreat the king to the back rank.
37...fxe5??
There was still hope in 37...Bf8, eg 38.Bd7 Nf4! 39.Nxf4 gxf4 40.Kf2 fxe5 41.dxe5 Bg7 (analysis by the engines) - Black is a (doubled) pawn up, but the position of his rook means White is effectively playing with the advantage of the exchange.
38.Nxb4 exd4 39.Nxd5 Be5 40.Nxc7
The remaining moves were:
40...Bxc7 41.Rc5 Nf4 42.Rxb5 Ke7 43.Rb4 Kd6 44.Be4 Kc5 45.Rb7 Kd6 46.Rb5 Bd8 47.Rb8 Kc7? 48.Rb7+ 1-0
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...…..171...………..159...………….W
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..198...……….….L
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..169...…………..L
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..196...…………..L
LL...…….B...…...171...………..182...…………..D
CLL...…..W...…..171...………..189...…………..L
LL...…….B...…...171...………..178...…………..L
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..164...…………..D
LL...…….B...…...171...………..188...………….W
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..200...…………..L
LL...…….B...…...171...………..169...…………..L
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +5=9-7 for a grading performance of 170.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.

New Tube Puzzle

HERE is a carriage serial number from a Northern Line train that makes an interesting Tube Puzzle.
51663
As usual, each number should be used once and once only, and must be added, subtracted, multiplied or divided to make a balanced equation.
I would classify this as of "moderate difficulty."
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My solution: 5 = 3 + 1 + (6 ÷  6)

Sale Now On

URBAN Outfitters seems to be offering up to 30% off the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit in its spring sale.

Horrible Loss

LOST badly for Battersea 3 against Kings Head last night in division two of the Central London League.
I dropped a pawn in the middlegame and swopped off into a heavy-piece 'ending', which was fairly hopeless, and became even more so when I further exchanged into a pawn ending.
All in all, I put up little resistance, my only consolation being that my opponent was graded 200.
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...…..171...………..159...………….W
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..198...……….….L
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..169...…………..L
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..196...…………..L
LL...…….B...…...171...………..182...…………..D
CLL...…..W...…..171...………..189...…………..L
LL...…….B...…...171...………..178...…………..L
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..164...…………..D
LL...…….B...…...171...………..188...………….W
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..200...…………..L
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +5=9-6 for a grading performance of 173.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.

Black To Play And Win

TURNED out for Battersea last night in a London League division one game against Streatham & Brixton.

Black to make his 29th move in Stephen Ledger (188) - Spanton (171)

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I played 29...R8f6 and eventually won, largely thanks to my opponent's time trouble.
But the engines point out an instant win with 29...Qd8! trapping White's queen.
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...…..171...………..159...………….W
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..198...……….….L
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..169...…………..L
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..196...…………..L
LL...…….B...…...171...………..182...…………..D
CLL...…..W...…..171...………..189...…………..L
LL...…….B...…...171...………..178...…………..L
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..164...…………..D
LL...…….B...…...171...………..188...………….W
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +5=9-5 for a grading performance of 174.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.

Four Juniors And A German (final part)

EMBARRASSINGLY abrupt accurately sums up the finish to my round-five game at the 69th Hampstead U2200.

Black to make his 16th move in Christopher Tombolis (1914/183) - Spanton (1906/171)

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16...Rd8?
A misguided attempt not to go a pawn down. As I will show later, my main analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo9 reckon Black has enough counterplay to ignore the threat to c6.
17.Bxc6 Rxd1+ 18.Rxd1 bxc6 19.Ba3! 1-0
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Returning to the diagram, the engines are fairly unconcerned about Black going a pawn down. Indeed one line given by Stockfish10 runs 16...a6?! 17.Bxc6 bxc6 18.Rxc6 with the engines rating White's advantage as worth only about a third of a pawn.
However, spending a tempo to oblige White to capture on c6 seems a bit extreme. Another move given by Stockfish10 is 16...a5, when after 17.Bxc6 bxc6 18. Rxc6 the engines agree Black has full compensation for the pawn by playing 18...Kg8 or 18...a4.

Four Juniors And A German (part four)

PLAYED my sole grown-up at the 69th Hampstead U2200 in round four.
Spanton (1906/171) - Wolfgang Jekel (1682/148)
Scandinavian Defence, Tiviakov Variation
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd6
This centralising retreat was popularised by Tiviakov, athough it goes back to at least the 1960s, and has been played by Kasparov, Carlsen and Caruana.
4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 c6 6.g3
The main line involves harassing Black's queen by 6.Ne5!? Nbd7 7.Nc4 Qc7 8.Qf3 Nb6 9.Bf4. White scores almost 59% from this position in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database, but both Tiviakov and Kasparov were happy to defend Black's cause.
6...Bg4 7.Bg2 e6 8.h3 Bxf3 9.Qxf3!?

All 33 games in Mega19 featured 9.Bxf3 rather than this pawn sac

9...Qc7
The idea of this move is to meet Bf4 with Bd6. However, clearly critical is 9...Qxd4. After 10.Be3 I felt White's bishop-pair and lead in development would give decent compensation.
10.Bf4 Bd6 11.Bxd6 Qxd6
Black offered a draw.
12.0-0-0 Nbd7 13.Rhe1 0-0-0 14.Rd3
I gave a fair bit of consideration to 14.Nb5!? but could not see that White was achieving much after 14...Qb8.
14...Nb6 15.Ne4
Again Nb5 was possible but, if anything, is less effective than on the previous move.
15...Nxe4 16.Rxe4 Nd5?
A bold but faulty pawn sac. White is only a little better after 16...Rd7, according to Stockfish10 and Komodo9.
17.Qxf7 Rhe8?!
Objectively better was 17...Rhf8 but 18.Qxe6+ Qxe6 19.Rxe6 Rxf2 gives Black no compensation for his pawn minus after 20.Rd2 or 20.Bxd5.
18.Qxg7 Nb4 19.Ra3 a6 20.Qe5 (1-0, 44 moves)

Four Juniors And A German (part three)

PLAYED much too passively in round three of the 69th Hampstead U2200 on Saturday 'evening' (the round began at 5.30pm).

Black to make his 39th move in Aditya Verma (2071/195) - Spanton (1906/171), but you will not be able to guess what I came up with

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39...Kf8??
Well, that is the move I executed on the board. It is illegal, of course, so under the latest Fide rules my opponent was given an extra two minutes on his clock - not that he needed it.
I cannot recall doing anything similar before, at least not when, as here, I had plenty of time on my clock. I guess it shows I was tireder than I realised.
A second illegal move would have cost me the game, but that was an academic consideration as White's position is already winning.
After …
39...Kg8?
… the only possibility under the touch-move rule, the game continued:
40.Ke2 Rd5
If 40...Rc1, White plays 41.Na5 with the unanswerable threat of Rd4.
41.Nf4 Kf7 42.Ke1
But not 42.Nxd5?? cxd5 as 43.Rd4? fails to 43...Bb5 (White would, however, have drawing chances with 43.Re3).
42...Be7 43.Nxd5 cxd5 44.Rd4 (1-0, 52 moves)

Four Juniors And A German (part two)

IN round two of the 69th Hampstead U2200 I got down to a minor-piece ending on move 31.
A long manoeuvring game ensued, eventually reaching the following position:

White to make his 55th move in Spanton (1906/171) - Anum Sheikh (1573/161)

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55.Bd7?
White has serious winning chances after 55...a4 56.cxb3 Bxb5 as White's three pawn islands are much easier to defend than Black's four.
55...Bf8?
Black should have diffused the queenside threat with 55...cxb3, although after 56.axb3 White's more homogeneous pawns give him a slight edge.
56.Nc2?
Again the thrust a4 was strong.
56...Nd3?
Unprotecting d5 is a mistake. The best solution was probably still ...cxb3.
57.Bf5?
Correct was 57.Ne3, forcing 57...Nf4, and then 58.a4.
57...Nf4 58.Ne1
Now 57.a4?? is a losing blunder because of the simple 57...cxb3.
58...Kc6 59.Nf3 Bg7 60.Ne5+?
I had run out of ideas by now and went back to my old sin of  trying too hard.
60...Kc7?
Black seems to be winning in all lines after 60...Bxe5 61.dxe5 b4, eg 62.cxb4 axb4 63.bxc4 dxc4 64.Be4+ Kc5 65.Bf5 Ke5, or 62.Kc2 Kc5 63.Bh7 bxc3 64.Kxc3 d4+ 65.Kc2 cxb3+ 66.Kxb3 Kd5 (main analysis by Komodo9 and Stockfish 10).
61.Nd7?!
Both 61.Ng6 and 61.bxc4 look safe enough, but the text is bordering on losing.
61...Ng2
White faces a tricky choice after 61...b4! Best appears to be 62.Nc5! bxc3+ 63.Kxc3 Ne2+ 64.Kd2 Nxd4, when Black has won a pawn, but it seems to me White saves the game by  forcing knights off with 65.Ne6+ Nxe6 66.Bxe6. The engines believe Black has the upper hand after 66...c3+ 67.Kc3 Kd6 68.Bf7 d4, but I can see no way for Black to make progress in this opposite-coloured bishops ending.
62.Nc5 Nf4?!
62...cxb3 was safer. The text allows White one more try.

White has one last try

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63.Bd7
The try was 63.a4 bxa4 64.bxc4, but after 64...a3 65.Kc2 Kc6 66.Be6 Kd6 67.Bf7 Ne2 68.Nb3 Black seems to hold with 68...a4. White can try 69.Nc1 but 69...Nxc1 70.Kxc1 dxc4 is a drawn ending of opposite-coloured bishops. That leaves 69.Na1 but it can apparently be met by the spectacular 69...Bxd4!! 70.cxd4 dxc4 71.Bxc4 Nxd4+ 72.Kd3 Nf3 with a position the engines reckon is dead drawn.
63...Kb6 64.Be8 cxb3 65.axb3 b4 66.Na4+ Kc7 67.Bf7 bxc3+ 68.Nxc3 Kc6 69.Ke3 ½–½

Four Juniors And A German

PLAYED at the 69th Hampstead congress over the weekend, scoring +2=1-2.
Hampstead has a time limit of 60mins with a 30sec move-increment - Fide allows such games to be rated, provided no player is over 2200, which is why the congress's three sections are U2200, U1900 and U135ECF.
The fast time-control means that playing three games on a Saturday does not feel anywhere near as tiring as it does with more traditional time controls. Indeed the Saturday 'evening' game starts at 5.30pm and is usually finished before 9pm.
Playing in the U2200, I faced four juniors with a combined age of 50, which was also the age of the one adult, a German, I faced - perhaps something for Jim Plaskett to include in a second edition of his book Coincidences.
My 50% score was a Fide rating performance of 1769.8, meaning I lost 15.6 rating points. That looks pretty bad, although my ECF grading performance was a more respectable 166.4.
In round one I got down to a rook-and-pawn ending for the fourth game in a row.

Black to make his 34th move in Jessica Mellor (1609/145) - Spanton (1906/171)

34...Bxe4 35.fxe4 cxb4 36.axb4
Black's protected passed a pawn means pawn endings will almost certainly be lost for White, but the rook-and-pawn ending is certainly not hopeless.
36...Ke6 37.Rf2 Rf7 38.Rfe2?
But giving up the only open file is definitely hopeless.
I was expecting 38.Rxf7 Kxf7 39.Rf1+. My main analysis engines Komodo9 and Stockfish10 give best play as 39...Kg6 (39...Ke6 40.Rf5 Rg8 looks to be completely drawn) 40.Rf5 a3! 41.Kb1 Kh5 (the reason Black's king went to the kingside - to attack White's kingside pawns).
This position deserves another diagram, as White's next is critical.

What should White play?

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The engines reckon White's rook has to give up its outpost as 42.Ka2!? is met by 42...Rc8, which they reckon gives Black the upper hand. But it is not clear Black can make serious progress after 43.Rf2. The engines give best play as 43...Rc3 44.Kb1 Kg6 (if 44...g4 then 45.Rf5+ Kg6 46.hxg4 a2+ 47.Kxa2 Rxc2+ 48.Kb3 Rxg2 49.Rxe5 Rxg4 [49...h3 transposes] 50.Rxb5 h3 51.Rb8 with dead equality).
After 44...Kg6 the engines still believe Black has the upper hand, but cannot find a line that improves Black's position, eg 45.Re2 g4 46.g3! gxh3 47.Rh2 a2+ 48.Ka1 Rxc2! 49.Rxh3 Kg5 50.gxh4+ Kg4 when after 51.Rh1 White's dangerous passed h pawn is enough to hold the balance.
Going back to the diagram, the engines reckon White needs to give up the outpost by, say, 42.Rf6, but the engines like Black after the reply 42...Rc8, when they sharply disagree on how White should proceed. One line given by Stockfish10, but initially strongly disliked by Komodo9, goes 43.Kc1!? a2 44.Ra6 Rf8 45.Rxa2 Rf2 46.Ra5 Rxg2 47.Rxb5 Rh2 48.Rxe5 Rxh3 49.Rf5 Rh1+ 50.Kb2 h3 51.Rf8 Kg4 52.b5, when it seems White's passed pawn gives sufficient counterplay for a draw.
Given enough time, Komodo9 comes to quite like 43.Kc1!?, but eventually the engines agree on 43.Ra6, with the main line going 43...g4 44.Rxa3 Kg5 45.Ra7 Kf4 46.Rf7+ Kg6 47.Rg7 Kxg2 48.Rxg4+ Kxh3 49.Rg5 Kh2 50.Rxe5. Again it seems White has enough counterplay, eg 50...Rg8 51.Rxb5 h3 52.Rh5 Kg2 53.c3 dxc3 54.Kc2 h2 55.Kxc3 h1=Q 56.Rxh1 Kxh1, and the Nalimov endgame tablebase shows the position is drawn.
These lines are very tricky, with the engines' evaluations frequently changing and often not in agreement. Nevertheless, it is clear 38.Rxf7 was White's best, and probably was enough to draw, if difficult in practice.
Back to the game:
38...Ref8 39.Kb2 Rf1 40.Rxf1 Rxf1 41.c3
This does not help White's cause, but White was out of useful moves, eg 41.Rd2 Kf6 42.Re2 g4 43.hxg4 Kg5 and Black wins on the kingside.
41...dxc3+ 42.Kxc3 Rb1 43.Rb2 Rxb2 44.Kxb2 Kf6 (0-1, 66 moves)

Yet Another Instructive R+P Ending

REACHED another interesting rook-and-pawn ending last night, playing in division one of the Central London League for Battersea 2 against Pimlico Bishops.

White has just played 38.Nc6-d4 and offered a draw in Robert Stern (164) - Spanton (171)

38...Bxd4?!
The diagram position is a lot trickier for Black than I imagined. At first my main analysis engines Komodo9 and Stockfish10 are quite happy with exchanging on d4, but give them enough time and they come to prefer centralising the king with 38...Ke7, even though this allows White to return his knight to c6 with 39.Nc6+ followed by centralising his king with 40.Kf3.
39.cxd4?!
The other recapture was almost certainly better. The point is that if, after 39.Rxd4, Black tries to play as he did in the game, he soon gets into trouble, eg 39...Rxd4? 40.cxd4 Rd7 41.Rd1 Rd5 42.Kf3 Ke7 43.Ke4 Ke6 44.b3, when White seems to be winning as he has massive problems defending his queenside after 44...c3 (44...cxb3 45.axb3 does not help) 45.b4.
That is why, after 39.Rxd4, the engines give the main line as 39...Ke7 40.Kf3 Rxd4 41.cxd4 Ke6 42.Ke4, albeit much preferring White.
39...Rd5 40.Kf3 Rbd7 41.Ke4 Ke7 42.Rh2 f6 43.Rc2
The obvious but passive 43.Rhd2 was probably also good enough for a draw, but threatening queenside counterplay with the text is good. In either case, the engines rate the position as virtually dead equal.
43...Ke6 44.b3?
RS seems to have missed the threat to e5. It was better to neutralise this by connecting rooks (44.Rcc1) or exchanging (44.exf6).
44...fxe5 45.fxe5 Rxe5+! 46.dxe5 Rxd1 47.bxc4

Is Black better?

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47...Re1+
An alternative I should have given serious consideration to was 47...Rh1!? Black is slightly better after 48.cxb5 Rh4+ 49.Kf3 axb5 50.Rc6+ Kxe5 51.Rc5+ Kd6 52.Rxb5 Rxh6 or 48.c5 Rh4+ 49.Kf3 Rc4, but in both cases White seems to have enough counterplay for a draw (analysis by the engines)
48.Kf4
48.Kd4 leads to similar variations.
48...Rxe5
48...Rf1+ 49.Ke4 allows transposition to the ...Rh1 line given at move 47.
Interesting was 48...g5+!? but it seems White can take the pawn, ie 49.Kxg5 Rxe5+ 50.Kf4 Rc5 51.Re2+ etc.
49.cxb5 Rf5+ 50.Ke4 axb5 51.Rc7 Rf7 52.Rc6+ Kd7 53.Rb6 Re7+ 54.Kf4
White offered a draw.
54...Rf7+ 55.Kg4 Rf2 56.Rb7+ Ke6 57.Rxh7 Rxa2 58.Rb7 Rh2 59.Rxb5 Rxh6 60.Rb6+ Ke5 61.Kg5 ½–½
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...…..171...………..159...………….W
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..198...……….….L
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..169...…………..L
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..196...…………..L
LL...…….B...…...171...………..182...…………..D
CLL...…..W...…..171...………..189...…………..L
LL...…….B...…...171...………..178...…………..L
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..164...…………..D
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +4=9-5 for a grading performance of 170.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.

Another Instructive R+P Ending

GRANDMASTER Nigel Davies in his DVDs for ChessBase often lays great stress on the importance of pawn islands, implying that to have more than the opponent is to be at a fairly serious disadvantage.
I do not know of any other player who emphasises this point so much - perhaps it is part-and-parcel of Davies's positional-based approach compared with other players who are maybe more concerned about dynamics.
Last night, playing for Battersea 2 in a London League division three match against Greater London, I got down to a rook-and-pawn ending in which I had four pawn islands, three of them consisting of isolanis, against my opponent's two.

White to make his 23rd move in Nigel Blades (178) - Spanton (171)

How big is White's advantage? Is White already positionally winning or is his advantage largely cosmetic?
According to my main analysis engines, Komodo9 and Stockfish10, the position is almost dead equal.
After the practically forced …
23.g3
… the engines agree White's edge, if it can be called such, is worth about a tenth of a pawn - less than the edge computers reckon White has at the start of a game by virtue of moving first.
23...Rg5
The pawn ending after 23...Rd8? 24.Rxd8 Kxd8 25.Kc2 Kd7 26.Kc3 is difficult for Black - those extra pawn islands really start to count.
24.Rd4 Rd5?!
Simpler is 24...Rh5 25.h4 Rf5 when Black's h pawn may still be a theoretical weakness but is very hard for White to get at.
25.Rh4
I assumed 25.Rxd5!? was just good for me as Black gets a protected passed pawn, but the engines believe the pawn ending is drawn. Indeed there are lines where White threatens to win by getting a passed pawn on each flank.
25...h4 26.Ra4

Black has several moves that maintain equality

26...a5
I played this almost automatically, but it is by no means the only move.
The engines' main line runs 26...Rd2!? 27.Rxa7+ Kd6 28.Rxh7 Rxf2 29.Rxh5, which they reckon is completely equal despite Black's pawn minus. The text and 26...Kd6 are also equal, according to the engines.
The one plausible move they do not like is the passive 26...Rd7?! when White can begin to make progress with lines such as 27.Kc2 Rb7 28.b3 Kd6 29.Rd4+ Ke7 30.a4.
27.Kc2 Kd6 28.Kc3 Re5
This is probably OK but again there was a simpler solution, namely 28...Rf5. The point is that White has very little chance of making progress if he is obliged to play f4.
29.Rf4 Ke7 30.Kb3?!
This decentralisation seems to be a mistake. White should have temporised with his rook, or played for a passed a pawn with 30.b4. The engines reckon the position would still be equal, but a passed a pawn would at least mean Black could almost never afford an exchange of rooks.
30...Rb5+
This lets White off the hook. Correct was 30...Re2, eg 31.Kc3 e5! 32.Rf5 Ke6 33.Rxh5 Rxf2 when Black's more active pieces give a slight edge, according to the engines.
31.Kc3
I was worried about 31.Ka4? 32.Rxb2 Kxa5 but it seems I seriously misjudged the position. White's decentralised king gives Black an advantage - a winning advantage, according to Stockfish10; 'merely' plus-over-minus according to Komodo9.
31...Kf7?
I did not want to give White a second chance to go for the previous note, but decentralising the king means Black is now in big trouble.
32.Rc4 c5??
Probably best was 32...Rb6, when 33.Rc5 a4 gives Black counterplay. But White does not need to rush. Better is 33.a4! when Rc5 really is a threat.
33.a4 1-0
A sudden finish. There is no doubt the extra pawn islands made the ending more difficult for Black to play, but it seems the position should have been fairly easily drawn. As it happened, I even missed a chance, at move 30, to gain an edge.
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...…..171...………..159...………….W
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..198...……….….L
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..169...…………..L
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..196...…………..L
LL...…….B...…...171...………..182...…………..D
CLL...…..W...…..171...………..189...…………..L
LL...…….B...…...171...………..178...…………..L
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +4=8-5 for a grading performance of 170.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.

Instructive Ending

LOST an instructive rook-and-pawn ending playing for Battersea 3 against HMC 2 in the second division of the Central London League last night.

Black to make his 29th move in Spanton (171) - Motiejus Gudenas (189)

29...Rd2
Black has the initiative but White's well-placed rook and the weakness of Black's f pawn mean the game should be drawn. My main analysis engines Komodo9 and Stockfish10 reckon the position is dead equal.
30.b4
An even easier draw is to be had by repeated checking, eg 30.Rc8+ Kf7 31.Rc7+ Kf8 32.Rc8+ Ke7 33.Rc7+ as White's h pawn is very fast after the try 33...Kd6?! 34.Rxg7.
30...axb4 31.axb4 Rd4 32.b5 Rb4 33.Kf3 g5 34.Kg4 Rxb5
Black is a pawn up but the game should still be drawn.
35.h4 h6 36.hxg5
36.h5 also seems to draw but the text is simpler.
36...hxg5 37.Rb7 Kf8 38.e3 fxe3 39.fxe3 Ke8 40.e4 Kd8 41.Rg7 Re5 42.Rxg5?!
This is theoretically OK but requires precise play. Easier was 42.Kf3 as White's rook keeps Black's king on its back rank. If Black tries advancing the b pawn, White's rook waits for the right moment to get behind it, eg 42...b5 43.Ke3 b4 44.Rb7 with a trivial draw,
42...Rxe4+

White to play and draw

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43.Kf3?
The only way to draw was 43.Kf5. The point is that if Black plays as in the game 43...Re7, White has another only move in 44.Kf6 (analysis courtesy of the Nalimov endgame database). White is then threatening to play Rb5, eg after 44...Kd7. Alternatively, if Black makes a rook move such as 44...Rd7, White's king can approach the pawn. A likely continuation would be 45.Ke5 Kc7 46.Rg6 b5 47.Ke4, when Black cannot make progress. The difference will become clearer after the game continuation.
43...Re7
Black has an easy win as White's king is cut off far from the pawn while Black's king is free to escort the pawn to the eighth rank.
44.Rb5
The pawn ending after 44.Kf4 Kc7 45.Re5 Rxe5 46.Kxe5 Kc6 47.Kd4 is also hopeless as long as Black plays 47...Kb5 48.Kc3 Ka4 rather than the drawing 47...b5??
The remaining (rather unnecessary) moves were:
45...Kc7 45.Rb4 Kc6 46.Rh4 b5 47.Rh6+ Kc5 48.Rh5+ Kc4 49.Rh4+ Kc3 50.Rh8 b4 51.Rc8+ Kb2 52.Rb8 b3 53.Kf2 Kc2 54.Rc8+ Kb1 55.Rb8 b2 56.Rb5 Kc2 57.Rc5+ Kb3 58.Rb5+ Kc3 59.Kf1 Re4 0-1
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...…..171...………..159...………….W
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..198...……….….L
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..169...…………..L
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..196...…………..L
LL...…….B...…...171...………..182...…………..D
CLL...…..W...…..171...………..189...…………..L
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +4=8-4 for a grading performance of 173.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.

Hastings Streak Conquered

MY unbeaten streak for Hastings & St Leonards, which went back to 2011, ended last night away to Rainham in the Kent League (155 average).
OK, the streak only covered eight games, but it was disappointing to lose it the way I did.
Spanton (171) - Andrew Waters (168)
English v Dutch
1.c4 f5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 g6 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.d3
This may look unambitious, and is not liked by my main analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo9, but it is the most popular move in the position and has been played by Kasparov, Grischuk and Adams.
5...0-0 6.e4 d6 7.Nge2 c6 8.0-0 Na6 9.d4?!
A novelty, it seems, and probably not a good one. It would have been better to have gone with my original thought of 9.h3.
9...e5
The engines reckon Black should exchange knights on e4, getting a (temporarily) backward e pawn but with pressure down the f file.
10.exf5 gxf5
10...Bxf5 was also possible as the isolani Black gets after 11.dxe5 dxe5 is not easy for White to attack and gives Black active play for his pieces.
11.dxe5?!
It was better to maintain the tension, eg by 11.Bg5, as the hanging pawns Black now gets are not weak and have a Nimzowitschean lust to expand.
11...dxe5 12.Bg5 Nc5 13.Qc2

AW came up with a somewhat counter-intuitive choice here

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13...Qd3!?
Normally the player with hanging pawns wants to keep queens on the board as they help his attacking chances, but here exchanging them gets Black's knight to the sixth rank. The question then becomes whether the knight can maintain its position or will be forced to retreat or be exchanged (or, worse, trapped).
Note that 13...Nd3?? would be a blunder due to the pinning reply 14.Rad1.
14.Qxd3 Nxd3 15.b3 Be6 16.Rad1 Rad8 17.Rd2 h6?!
This natural-looking move drives the bishop to a good square. The engines reckon Black should play 17...Nc5, with equal chances.
18.Be3 Ng4?!
A pawn sac that should not work. The engines suggest 18...Nb4 or 18...f4, with an edge for White in either case.
19.Bxa7 f4?
This is definitely a mistake. Best, according to the engines, was 19...e4, with White better after 20.Bb6, 20.f3 (the move I had been planning if Black supported his d3 knight with the e pawn) or 20.Rdd1.

White to play and win

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20.Be4??
White is winning easily after 20.Bb6, eg 20...f3 21.Bxf3! or 20...Rd7 21.Rfd1 f3 22.Rxd3 Rxd3 23.Rxd3.
20...Ndxf2 21.Rxd8 Nh3+ 22.Kg2?
White is still very much in the game after 22.Kh1.
22...Rxd8 23.Rd1 Rxd1?!
The engines reckon Black gets a bigger advantage by keeping rooks on, eg by 23...Ra8 or 23...Rf8.
24.Nxd1 Ng5 25.Ndc3??
The final blunder, losing a piece. Correct was 25.Nec3, avoiding a fork at f3. Black then has maybe a tiny edge.
25...Nf6 (0-1, 50 moves)

Capablanca's Anti-Gambit Weapon

TURNED out for Battersea in division one of the London League against Wimbledon last night.
Ian Heppell (182) - Spanton (171)
Göring Gambit
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.c3 d5
George Botterill in Open Gambits (Batsford, 1986) stated: "Although it is really stronger to accept the gambit, over the board the gambit is declined more often than not, which is quite understandable if Black has not come fully prepared for all the complicated tactical play that may result from acceptance."
One problem with 4...dxc3 is that White has two almost equally popular replies in 5.Nxc3 and 5.Bc4, with both moves scoring more than 60% in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database.
A repertoire book recommending acceptance is Larry Kaufman's The Chess Advantage In Black And White (McKay, 2004). He wrote: "Black can equalise by 4...d5, but I think he should try for more. Like its cousins the Morra Gambit and the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit, the Göring Gambit does not give White enough lead in development to fully offset the pawn sacrificed. That's why these gambits are almost never played by top grandmasters."
Perhaps he should have added "in modern times," because the list of strong players who have essayed 4.c3 includes Staunton, Paulsen, Blackburne, Anderssen, Tarrasch, Nimzowitsch, Lasker, Reti, Schlechter, Tal, Stein, Bronstein, Spassky, Ribli and Ljubojevic. The list since Kaufman's book was published is rather less impressive but includes several 2500+ players.
In a more recent repertoire book, Bologan's Black Weapons In The Open Games (New In Chess, 2014), Viktor Bologan rejects 4...dxc3, writing: "I was very interested in capturing the pawn (and another if White continues with 5.Bc4). However, I wasn't able to find any advantage for Black in one sideline."
It should be noted that as well as 4...d5, Black has two other important ways of declining the gambit, viz 4...d3 and 4...Nf6.
5.exd5 Qxd5 6.cxd4 Bg4 7.Be2 Bb4+ 8.Nc3 Bxf3
First played, as far as is known, by Capablanca against Marshall at Lake Hopatcong, 1926. The idea soon becomes clear.
9.Bxf3 Qc4
Preventing early castling by White.

How should White react?

10.Bxc6+
Marshall preferred 10.Be3, when Capablanca grabbed a pawn after all by 10...Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 Qxc3+. The game was quickly drawn after the further moves: 12.Kf1 Qc4+ 13.Kg1 Nge7 14.Rc1 Qxa2 15.Ra1 Qc4 16.Rc1.
Much more popular than 10.Be3 is to seek an immediate queen-exchange by 10.Qb3, but the text is most popular.
10...bxc6
Blacks originally played 10...Qxc6, but Bologan says "it very quickly became clear the blockade of the d5 square is worth doubling the c pawns."
11.Qe2+ Qxe2+ 12.Kxe2 0-0-0 13.Be3 Ne7
Bologan writes: "It's easier for White than for Black to lose this position. Why is this so? Mostly because White (often) fails to play his main trump - installing his king on c4."
14.Kd3
IH in the postmortem said this is recommended in a book he has, although he could not recall the title. Judging from Bologan's comments, the book is probably Danish Dynamite. Even so, 14.Kd3 is only fourth-most popular in Mega19.
IH said his only loss with the text came against grandmaster Oleg Korneev, and that was due to a blunder late-on.
14...Bxc3!?
This seems to be a novelty.
Bologan says 14...c5 must be played "if (Black) wants to equalise in a relaxed manner." However, my move also seems satisfactory.
15.bxc3
15.Kxc3 Nd5+ gives the knight a fine central outpost.
15...c5 16.Kc4 cxd4 17.Bxd4 Nc6
Protecting the a7 pawn as the g7 pawn is effectively taboo.
18.Rhe1
Not 18.Bxg7? as Rhg8 leaves the bishop without a useful square, eg 19.Bf6 Rd6 20.Bd4 (20.Bh4?? Rg4+) Nxd4 21.cxd4 Rxg2 with much the better game for Black.
IH regretted not playing 18.Be3, which at least keeps the game going.
18...Nxd4 19.cxd4 Rhe8 20.Rad1 ½–½
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...…..171...………..159...………….W
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..198...……….….L
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..169...…………..L
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..196...…………..L
LL...…….B...…...171...………..182...…………..D
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +4=8-3 for a grading performance of 175.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9, also for a grading performance of 175.

Goodnight Vienna

SUFFERED my third loss on the bounce for Battersea last night in a Central London League division one match for the second team against second-placed Rangers.
Carsten Pedersen (196) - Spanton (171)
Vienna Gambit
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4 d5 4.fxe5 Nxe4 5.Nf3 Be7
By far the most popular reply in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database, which is perhaps not surprising as Black scores 50% with this move.
6.Qe2
White's score increases to 52% after this. The idea is to oblige Black to exchange on d3 and follow up by castling long. The drawback is clear - White has blocked the development of his light-square bishop.

How should Black meet White's aggressive intentions?

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6...Nxc3
Can Black avoid this? The answer is probably yes. American GM Benjamin has played 6...f5 and 6...Nc5 while Karpov is among those who have tried 6...Ng5. However, the text is very much the commonest move.
7.dxc3 0-0
The main move, but Victor Bologan in Bologan's Black Weapons In The Open Games (New In Chess, 2014) covers a different plan, involving queenside castling, and that has been quickly gaining popularity. After his recommended 7...c5, the mainline goes 8.Bf4 Nc6 9.0-0-0 Be6 10.h4. Black then "almost automatically" plays 10...h6, which is liked by Stockfish10 and Komodo9, but Bologan suggests instead playing 10...Qd7, although the engines are not impressed.
8.Bf4 c6!?
The main move is 8...c5, as played by Gligoric, although Stockfish10 comes to prefer my choice. After 8...c5, the most popular line runs 9.0-0-0 Qa5 10.Kb1 Nc6 11.Qb5 Be6 12.Qxa5 Nxa5 with a position the engines reckon as equal.
9.0-0-0 Qa5 10.Kb1 Na6 11.Nd4 Nc5 12.Qf3

Black to make his 12th move

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12...Ne4?!
This seemed natural to me but the knight proves to be precariously placed. The engines give 12...Qb6 with unclear play.
13.Bd3 f5 14.exf6 Nxf6?
After this retreat Black has no hopes of a queenside attack while White's play in the centre and on the kingside becomes very menacing.
I should have given more consideration than I did to the positional pawn sac 14...Bxf6!? After 15.Bxe4 dxe4 16.Qxe4 the engines give 16...Bg4 with reasonable play for Black. The engines prefer White but Black's bishop-pair and the fact that White's extra pawn is doubled and cannot be used to create a passed pawn keep Black in the game.
15.Rde1
Also very good, and the move I feared more during the game, was 15.Nf5.
15...Bg4?
This temporarily gains a tempo but the bishop is very unstable on g4. I should have resigned myself to protecting the dark-square bishop by 15...Qd8 or 15...Rf7, but in either case White is much better.
16.Qg3 Bc5
This loses material but it was already too late to save the game, eg the engines reckon Black's best line is to give up the exchange by 16...Qd8 17.Bf5 Bxf5 18.Nxf5 Rf7 19.Nh6+.
17.Nb3 Qb6 18.Nxc5 Qxc5 19.Bd6
White wins the exchange and keeps the better position.
The remaining moves were:
19...Qb6 20.Bxf8 Rxf8 21.Rhf1 Bh5 22.Re7 1-0
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...…..171...………..159...………….W
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..198...……….….L
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..169...…………..L
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..196...…………..L
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +4=7-3 for a grading performance of 174.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.