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.
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| How should Black meet White's aggressive intentions? |
*****
*****
*****
*****
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
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| Black to make his 12th move |
*****
*****
*****
*****
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.
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