Championship Clash

CONTINUING to go through the October 2005 edition of Chess magazine, I came across this interesting opening from round eight of the British Championship.
Andrew Greet (2425) - Stuart Conquest (2503)
Hippopotamus Defence, 150 Attack
1.d4 g6 2.e4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.Be3
Greet comments: "I have always enjoyed playing the '150 Attack' against the Pirc and Modern, although I get the feeling that Black should be OK if he plays precisely."
4.Be3 has been played by Kasparov, Anand and many other strong players, and is easily the most popular move in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database.
4...a6 5.Nf3 Nd7
Greet: "I found this to be a slightly annoying move order."
6.Bc4
Greet: "Usually 6.Bd3 would be the preferred square, but after the specific move-order chosen by Black I was slightly concerned about 6...c5!? 7.d5 (otherwise Black gets a fairly comfortable Dragon after ...cxd4 as my bishop would be misplaced on d3) 7...b5 with unclear play."
Most popular is 6.Qd2, which is thematic for the 150 Attack, but the analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo9 much prefer Greet's move.


Greet says "Black must do something about the threat of Bxf7+," but is he right?

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Yes.
6...e6
Out of 87 games in Mega19, 78 feature this move.
The point is that the 'natural-looking' 6...Ngf6? runs into 7.Bxf7+! (the preliminary 7.e5 is also good) Kxf7 8.Ng5+. Now 8...Ke8 and 8...Kf8 lose the queen to 9.Ne6+. That leaves 8...Kg8, but after 9.Ne6+ Qe8 10.Nxc7 Qd8 11.Nxa8, White has a rook and two pawns for a bishop. True, White's a8 knight looks doomed, and Black has the bishop-pair, but White must be much better.

How should the game proceed?

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Stockfish10 and Komodo9 agree the main line would go 11...b5 12.e5 Bb7!? (12...Ne8 13.Qf3 is even worse, according to the engines, but might be the best practical chance in a game between humans) 13.exf6 Nxf6 14.f3 Qxa8, when White is an exchange and a pawn up.
Going back to the position after 12.e5, I think the best practical chance would be 12...Ne8, but after 13.Qf3 it is far from clear that Black will after all win the knight on a8.
After the game's 6...e6, play continued:
7.a4 b6 8.0-0 Ne7 9.Qd2 h6 10.h3 Bb7 11.Rfe1 Nf6 12.Bf4?!
This may be a mistake as it gives Black a tempo for kingside play. The engines much prefer 12.d5 or 12.Bd3!?
12...g5!
Greet's punctuation.
13.Bh2 g4 14.hxg4 Nxg4 15.Bg3
Four years later the game Anh Dung Nguyen (2500) - Huan Hoang Canh (2378), Vietnamese Championship qualifier, was agreed drawn here, suggesting strong players very much like Black's kingside attacking chances. Stockfish10 reckons the position is dead equal, while Komodo9 prefers White.
15...Ng6 16.Nh2?!
The engines reckon this is a mistake, wanting White to get on with it in the centre or on the queenside.
16...h5 17.Rad1 Kf8!?
This seems to be almost a waiting move. I guess Conquest wanted to get his king off the central files to give himself more flexibility in case of White playing d5 or e5.
18.Qe2 Qg5 19.Nf3 Qe7 20.Nh2!?
This is the engines' choice, but it means Black has developed his queen to e7 without loss of tempo.
20...Nf6 21.Nf1?!
The engines still want White to get on with it in the centre, giving 12.e5 with unclear play.
21...h4
Stockfish10 at first gives Black a winning advantage after this move, but given sufficient time it slowly comes to have Black as just slightly better. Komodo9 also prefers Black, but only by about a fifth of a pawn.
22.Bh2 Bh6?!
Komodo9 prefers Greet's suggestion of 22...h3, when best seems to be the horrible-looking 23.g3, but Stockfish10 reckons Black has time to consolidate his queenside with 22...a5.
The frequent differences in the engines' evaluations highlight how unclear these positions can be (even as I type this, Stockfish10 comes round to liking 22...h3, at one point reckoning it gives Black a winning advantage).
23.Qf3 Nh7
Greet says 23...Kg7 was better. The engines give 23...h3!? or 23...Bg5, but disagree on how much Black is better (if at all).
24.Qh5
Greet is harsh on this, saying he should have played 24.Rd3. The engines are not so sure.
24...Nf6 25.Qf3 Kg7 26.Qh3
Greet calls this "quite a senseless move," but does not give an alternative, and it is Komodo9's second-choice (behind continuing redeployment of the king's knight with 26.Ne3).
26...Rag8!
Neither engine suggests this move, but, once shown it, Stockfish10 comes to very much rate it. I give it an exclamation mark because of the engines' initial indifference, but to me it looks like the type of move many club players would instinctively choose.
27.d5?
"This achieves nothing," says Greet. Perhaps more importantly, it allows Black to seal the centre, which is the normal source of counterplay when an opponent is attacking down a flank.
27...e5 28.Ne3

How should Black proceed?

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28...Bxe3!
Giving up his bad-but-active bishop in a position that does not seem promising for White's bishop-pair. On top of this, Conquest has seen a tactical point.
29.fxe3?
This loses an exchange (can you see how?) but, as Greet says, 28.Qxe3 Ng4 "would have left Black well and truly in control."
29...Bc8 30.Qf3 Bg4 (0-1, 49 moves)

How True

GOING through the October 2005 edition of Chess magazine - Jonathan  Rowson is on the cover, with an announcement that he is to lecture on Chess For Zebras - I come across a diagram of the final position (no moves are given) of the British Championship game between Timothy Woodward and Stuart Conquest.
The commentary reads: "It's not often that you see an 82-move, close to 7-hour game in which all eighteen pawns remain on the board!"

Very Tricky 'Tube Puzzle'

THE serial number of the carriage I was riding in from Peckham Rye to Victoria recently was 72791.
It was only as the train was pulling into Victoria that I manged to solve this 'Tube Puzzle'.
As usual, each number should be used once, and once only, and must be added, subtracted, multiplied or divided to make a balanced equation.
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My solution: 7 + 1 = (9 + 7) ÷  2

Shambles Addendum

LAST night's loss did nothing to help my Battersea stats for this season.
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
CLL...…..W...…..171...………..186...…………..D
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..153...…………..D
LL...……W...…...171...………..188...…………..L
LL...……W...…...171...………..159...…………..L
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +5=11-9 for a grading performance of 166.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.

Shambles

WHAT is worse than drawing with a player graded 12ECF lower?
No prizes for working out that the answer is losing to a player graded 12ECF lower.
This is what happened to me playing for Battersea 2 against Newham in division three of the London League last night.
I spurned a forced draw by repetition, horribly misplayed an ending and duly lost.

Steinitz Gem

HERE is another interesting clash from the book 500 Master Games Of Chess.
It is the sixth game of the Lasker-Steinitz rematch held in Moscow from November 1896-January 1897, and was one of only two Steinitz wins (the match finished in Lasker's favour +10=5-2).
I guess I must have seen the game before, but I could not remember it when going over the moves. Tartakower's notes are in italics.
Lasker (2855) - Steinitz (2794)*
Ruy Lopez, Deferred Steinitz
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6
The 'Steinitz Defence Deferred' is sound and lasting.
5.d4
This straightforward move is the strongest against the Steinitz Defence proper (3...d6 4.d4). Here, curiously enough, it proves to be the least energetic.
My main analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo9 reckon the text dissipates White's advantage. Nevertheless, 5.d4 has been played by Shirov and other strong players.
5...Bd7
A rather anxious reply.
Tartakower gives a lot of analysis to support his claim that Black should have "boldly" played 5...b5 6.Bb3 Nxd4 7.Nxd4 exd4, giving the game "an incisive character." That is indeed the main line in this variation today.
6.Bb3!?
Releasing his hold without necessity. He could have kept up the tension by 6.c3, after which Black could have continued straightforwardly by 6...Nf6, or more insidiously by 6...Nge7, followed by ...Ng6, …Be7 etc, or finally by 6...g6, followed by 7....Bg7 etc, with a playable game.
Lasker had used 6.c3 to beat Steinitz at St Petersburg the previous year and Blackburne earlier in 1896 at Nuremberg. The subtle idea behind 6.Bb3!? will become clear later.
6...Be7
Of course not 6...Nf6 7.Bg5 etc (this must be misprint for 7.Ng5, although Black is still alive after 7...d5! eg 8.exd5 Nd4).
7.dxe5 dxe5 8.Qd5 Be6 9.Qxd8+ Rxd8 10.Bxe6 fxe6 11.c3

Who stands better, and why?

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White's plan, initiated by his sixth move, is now clear: elimination of the queens and creation of a doubled pawn in the hostile camp. But, for once, Dr Lasker, the great endgame player, is at fault; he overlooks that a genuine endgame is still very far off. Black already commands the open d file, and will soon operate on the f file as well.
Note that Black has a sizeable lead in development. White has a knight in play, while Black has developed a knight, bishop and rook, and it is Black to move. Nevertheless, pawn-structure cannot be ignored - the engines reckon White is a tiny bit better (a fifth of a pawn, according to Stockfish10; a tenth of a pawn, according to Komodo9). The game becomes one of positional manoeuvre.
11...Nf6 12.Nbd2 Bc5
And here is, in addition, a diagonal which will be under Black's management.
13.b4 Ba7 14.a4 b5
Cutting short White's designs on the extreme queen's wing.
15.Ke2
Useless would be 15.axb5 axb5 16.Ra6 Bb6 (or 16.Nxe5 Bxf2+).
15...Bb6
Evading the threat 16.axb5 axb5 17.Nxe5.
16.axb5 axb5 17.Ne1 Rf8 18.f3 Rf7 19.Nb3?
A very natural desire to let the inactive bishop into the open. Yet it is a tactical inadvertence by which Black will be enable dto turn his positional advantage into one of material. 19.Rf1 is necessary as a preliminary measure.
Or, as an anonymous analyst in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database puts it: "A gross mistake that is seldom found in Lasker's games."
19...Nxe4!
Gain of a pawn of which the protection is illusory (20.fxe4 Rf2#). The rest is a question of technique.
20.Bb2 Nd6
Threatens not only 21...Nc4, but also the breakthrough (even against 21.Nd2) by 21...e4 etc.
21.Rf1 Nc4 22.Bc1 Ne7 23.Bg5 Nd5!
Well calculated. This sacrifice of the exchange enables Black to take the hostile king under the concentrated fire of four batteries.
24.Bxd8
There is nothing better.
24...Nf4+ 25.Kd1 Rd7+ 26.Kc2
Or 26.Kc1 Ne2+ etc.
26...Ne3+ 27.Kb2 Nxf1 28.Bg5 Ne3 29.Bxf4 exf4
After a few exchanges, Black remains with only an extra pawn, but with the same overwhelming positional advantage.
30.Rc1 e5 0-1
Practically a 'zugzwang' position for White, while Black can further intensify the pressure by 31...Rd6 and …Rg6 or …Rh6.
*The ratings are historical retro analysis from chessmetrics.com and should not be taken too seriously.

Played Wells

TURNED out for Hastings & St Leonards away to Tunbridge Wells in the open division of the Kent League last night.

Black offered a draw as I was thinking about my 25th move in Spanton (171) - Charlie Metcalfe (157)

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25.Rd1
Black's threat of entering at d2 is also easily parried by 25.Rd3. In either case it will be White rather than Black who should gain control of the open file.
25...Nf6 26.Rgd3 Qc7?
Refusing to give up the open file, but losing a pawn. Much the lesser evil was 26...Rxd3, when White has at best a little nagging pressure after 27.Qxd3 or 27.Rxd3, but really the position is equal (but still with plenty of play).
27.Nb5 Qe7 28.Rxd8+ Rxd8 29.Rxd8+ Qxd8 30.Nxa7 (1-0, 56 moves)

Exciting News About 'Paignton'

GOT back from Bad Wörishofen early yesterday evening to find exciting news about Devon's annual congress: the top section is now a "Fide-norm" tournament.
What this means is that the Ron Bruce Premier will be over nine rounds instead of the usual seven.
To make this work the congress will start a day early, on Saturday August 31, and there will be a double-round day on Sunday September 1.
Otherwise the Ron Bruce will follow the usual format of 2pm starts Monday to Friday, and 9.30am on the final day (Saturday September 7).
There were rumours a few months ago that 'Paignton' - it used to be held at Paignton's Oldway Mansion and is still called Paignton by old hands despite transferring to the Livermead House Hotel on the outskirts of Torquay - was in danger of not being held.
Just as reports of Mark Twain's death were "greatly exaggerated" (actually, he never said this, although he did say something almost as funny), so it seems the Devon congress is in robust good health.
Entry to the nine-round Premier is £50  (£25 for IMs, free for GMs), which compares favourably with most tournaments I attend, particularly when you subtract discounts for being an ECF member at above bronze level (£7.50) and for online entry (£2).

Prize Money

I PICKED up 80 euros at the closing ceremony in Bad Wörishofen after coming fourth-sixth in the U2000 (I was seeded 16th).
Although I have a huge backlog of chess books to read - and an even huger backlog of books to study - I had already spent some of my anticipated prize money on Chess Blueprints - Planning In The Middlegame by Nikolay Yakovlev and  Traps In The Opening - 250 Gambits And Mazes On The Chess Board by András Mészáros.

My purchases

The books were hard to resist as they cost just three euros and one euro respectively from the congress bookstall's discount crates.
*The Bad Wörishofen congress website at chessorg.de has my rating gain as 24 elo, but my calculations confirm it, as stated in yesterday's post, as 32.6.

Good Morning

THE last round at Bad Wörishofen has, as with many other congresses, a morning start.
I beat a 1941 with black in yesterday's eighth round of the U2000, so I was expecting quite a tough opponent today, but instead got an over-achieving 1797.
By beating him - in 12 moves! - I finished on +6=1-2 for a Fide rating gain of 32.6 elo, and should pick up some prize money at this afternoon's closing ceremony.
Meanwhile, here is an early-morning photo of the town's outdoor chess set.

Not only are the pieces left out overnight without fear of vandalism, but they are correctly set up

Win, Lose or Draw?

IN ROUND seven of Bad Wörishofen U2000 I met a player I lost against in 21 moves in 2016 and in 14 moves in 2017.
This year's game lasted considerably longer, but take a look at the critical endgame position reached with White to make his 48th move in Spanton (1890) - Michael Walda (1913).

Is this position a win for White, a draw or a win for Black?

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48.Bxc5??
The game is easily drawn after 48.Ke2 as the try 48...e4?? loses to 49.fxe4 Kxe4 and now 50.Bxc5. The text is an attempt to win, but only succeeds in losing.
48...Kg3 49.Be3 Bxe3 50.Kxe3 a5
Black wins because White's queenside pawns are not fast enough.
51.c5
51.b4 comes to the same thing.
51...Kxg2 52.c6 bxc6 53.b4 Kxh3 54.b5 cxb5 55.axb5 a4 56.Kd3 a3 57.Kc3 a2 58.Kb2 a1=Q+ 59.Kxa1 Kg2 60.b6 h3 61.b7 h2 62.b8=Q h1=Q+ 63.Ka2 Qe1 (0-1, 76 moves)

Boring Chess?

MY opponent at the conclusion of our game in round six of Bad Wörishofen U2000, accused me of playing boring chess and not being interested in winning.
Jochen Eilers (1974) - Spanton (1890)
French Defence, Irregular Variation
1.e4 e6
As well as calling my play in general boring, JE dismissed 1...e6 as "boring," saying he had prepared for 1...e5 and 1...c5.
2.Nc3 d5 3.g3!?
There are more than 500 examples of this move in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database, and it was not a surprise to me as I knew JE was fond of fianchettoing his king's bishop when playing 1.e4.
3...d5xe4 4.Nxe4 e5!?
A suggestion of the analysis engine Stockfish10. The justification for moving the e pawn a second time is, presumably, that White has spent time opening two diagonals for his king's bishop, so Black has time to grab space in the centre.
5.d3 Nc6 6.Bg2 Nf6 7.Bg5 Be7 8.Nxf6+ Bxf6 9.Bxf6
I thought White's idea was 9.Bxc6+!?, doubling Black's c pawns, followed by 10.Bxf6 to remove Black's resulting bishop-pair, but JE said he did not think it was good to give up his king's bishop in this way.
9...Qxf6 10.Ne2?!
My main analysis engines do not like this, preferring 10.Qd2 (Stockfish10) or 10.Qf3 (Komodo9).
10...Bg4 11.h3 Bxe2?
Missing  the strength of 11...Bf3, eg Stockfish10 gives 12.Bxf3 Qxf3 13.0-0 0-0-0 with a strong attack. If 12.0-0, then Stockfish10 gives 12...Nd4 13.Re1 0-0-0 with what it reckons is a winning attack.
12.Qxe2 Nd4 13.Qd2
13.Qd1!? looks retrograde, but unbalances the game somewhat by preserving the bishop, and it eventually becomes the engines' choice.
13...Nf3+ 14.Bxf3 Qxf3 15.0-0 0-0-0?!
I probably should have played the safely centralising 15...Qd5, rather than offer a pawn, or pawns, for speedy development.

How should White continue?

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16.Rae1
Critical is 16.Qa5 Kb8 17.Qxe5, when Black does not seem to get enough for the pawn(s), eg 17...Rde8 18.Qxg7 Reg8 19.Qh6 Rg6 (19...Rxg3+?? 20.fxg3 Qxg3+ 21.Kh1 Rg8 22.Qd2 Qxh3+ 23.Qh2 wins for White) 20.Qd2 Rhg8 21.Kh2 Qh5 (what else?) 22.Qe3 Rh6 23.h4 (or 23.g4 - Black's back rank is weak). Another possibility is 17...Rhe8 18.Qxg7 Re2 19.c4!
The engines give Black's best as 17...f6, when after, say, 18.Qc5 Rhe8 19.Rae1 Re2 20.Rxe2 Qxe2, Black has some pressure for the pawn.
16...f6 17.Qe3 Qxe3 18.Rxe3 Rd6
The engines come to like 18...g5 to discourage the 19th move played by White in the game.
19.f4 exf4 20.Rxf4 Rhd8
JE now played ...
21.Rfe4
...and offered a draw, which I immediately accepted. The engines reckon White is slightly better after a move such as 21.Kf2, 21.Rh4 or 21.Ra4.

No Swindle

MY round-five game in the Bad Wörishofen U2000 was against the top seed (he has an elo of 1979), but proved something of an anti-climax when he blundered a whole rook in the opening.
He played on for another 40+ moves - my king never got castled - but was unable to conjure up a swindle.
Speaking of swindles …

Posters in the town proclaim Father Kneipp's teachings as having been relevant for more than 150 years

… but perhaps I am being unfair. After all, Kneipp was never found guilty of fraud.
Or as a pro-Kneipp website refers to his trial in 1852: "(P)hysicians and pharmacists view his treatments with a critical eye. They do not like the fact that Kneipp helps ill people quickly and free of charge. They bring charges against him. However, Kneipp is acquitted in court."

White To Play And Draw (probably)

FATHER Kneipp is as honoured in Bad Wörishofen as it is surely possible for a man to be so honoured.
Virtually every hotel calls itself a Kneipp hotel and shops sell a huge variety of Kneipp products, from face creams to watering-cans.
The main shopping street is named Kneippstrasse, and naturaly leads to the Kneipp Museum.

Bad Wörishofen … home to all things Kneipp

My game in round four of Bad Wörishofen U2000 got down to an interesting rook-and-pawn ending.

White to make his 39th move in Eberhard Hager (1730) - Spanton (1890)

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39.Ree3
This natural-looking move loses in a fairly straightforward manner.
White had to try 39.e5+! when my main analysis engines, Komodo9 and Stockfish10, give 39...dxe5 40.Rf3+ Kg7!? (a major alternative is 40...Ke6 41.Rfe3 Raa2, with a slight edge for Black) 41.Rg3 Raa2 42.Rxe5 Ra1+ 43.Re1 Rxe1+ 44.Kxe1 e5, when White's king is cut off on the back rank and Black has the only passed pawn, but these factors do not seem to quite add up to a win.
39...Ra1+ 40.Re1 Rxe1+ 41.Kxe1 Ke5
Material is level for the moment, but White cannot defend all his weaknesses. The game finished:
42.Rf3 e6 43.g3 Kxe4 44.Rf6 Ke5 45.Rf7 Rxb3 46.Rxh7 Rxg3 0-1

Double Blunder

THIS is the 35th annual Bad Wörishofen congress, the exact timing of which depends on when Easter falls.
Last year Easter was early, so entries were down as the tournaments coincided with sub-zero temperatures; this year Easter is late, and there are 387 entrants - the most I can remember at Bad Wörishofen.

Father Kneipp's bust overlooks the playing hall before the start of round three

My game on board two in the U2000 yesterday was decided by me making consecutive blunders.

White to make his 51st move in Spanton (1890) - James Reed (1947)

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White is a passed pawn up, and Black's bishop is locked in by my pawns - but, as is usual in chess, a modicum of care is required.
51.Rd1??
I was playing too quickly (through tiredness rather than arrogance). Correct was 51.Qd4, but after the text Black has a draw.
51...Rxa2+! 52.Kg1??
White draws after 52.Bxa3 Qxd1 53.Qc4, but after the text Black has a win.
52...Qb2 (0-1, 58 moves)

Tricky Ending

FATHER Sebastian Kneipp did not just promote water cures - he advocated abstinence from meat and alcohol in any but small quantities.
He thought clothing should be self-spun and made from linen or hemp, rather than wool, and he believed breathing hot air was a major cause of disease.


Father Kneipp's statue dominates the town square

Kneipp was widely praised in his lifetime, although his bulky body-shape in the statue above suggests he may not have always followed his own tenets.
Then again, I am a great advocate of taking your time over a game of chess, but yesterday in round two of Bad Wörishofen U2000 I was well ahead on the clock as usual.
Nevertheless I was still doing fine when my game reached the following position:

I was offered a draw as I was thinking about my 25th move in Thomas Bergmann (1796) - Spanton (1890)

25....Qxd2
Considering the rating difference, I was not about to take a draw if I could help it, but anyway I felt Black's endgame prospects were slightly preferable.
26.Nxd2 f5 27.f3 Kf7 28.Kf2 Ke6 29.Nb3 Bf8!?
White threatened to win a pawn by 30.Nc5. This could have been stopped with 29...Kd5, as then 30,Nc5?? loses to 30...f4. I played  the text in the hope of inducing …
30.Nc5+ Bxc5 31.Bxc5
The analysis engine Komodo9 agrees with 30.Nc5+, and I presume TB played it because a bishop is usually significantly better than a knight when players have rival pawn majorities. However, I felt Black's better king was a key factor here, and making it an endgame of different minor pieces would increase the chances of the game not ending in a draw.
31...Kd5 32.Bb6 e4 33.Bc7 Ne5 34.Bxe5?
Swopping bishop for knight is not necessarily bad, but doing it this way is wrong, as will be seen.
34...Kxe5 35.fxe4 Kxe4
If White had played 34.fxe4+ Kxe4 35.Bxe5, then after 35...Kxe5 we would get the same position, with the same player to move, except Black's king would be on e5 instead of e4. That seems to make the difference between a draw and a Black win.
36.Ke2 f4?
I thought it was important to fix White's kingside pawns, but Komodo9 and Stockfish10 much prefer 36...g5, which keeps open the option of Black's king attacking White's kingside pawns via f4.
37.b4?
This loses by a tempo, but a tempo in the endgame is often vital. The engines give 37.a4, which Stockfish10 reckons equalises, whereas Knmodo9 at first believes Black has the upper hand but, if given plenty of time, agrees the position is drawn.
37...b5 38.Kd2 g5 39.c4
This was TB's idea, but, as noted above, it fails by a tempo.
39...bxc4 40.Kc3 Kd5 41.a4 h5 42.b5 axb5 43.axb5 g4 44.hxg4 hxg4
44...h4? only draws.
45.b6 Kc6 46.b7 Kxb7 47.Kxc4 f3 48.gxf3 g3 0-1

Oh, What A Kneipp

BEGAN yesterday at my 14th annual Bad Wörishofen congress, held in a well-heeled south Bavaria spa town that does a roaring business in the summer.
The town was a tiny village until a Catholic priest, Sebastian Kneipp (the K is pronounced), invented a form of hydrotherapy that is popular with German hypochondriacs to this day.
Bad Wörishofen is surrounded by scores of water troughs sunk into the ground for initiates to wade through.
The central European winter ensures these troughs have to be shut down and covered over well into springtime.
This means the town has lots of smart hotels, nearly all of which offer a form of Kneipp treatment, that have to drastically reduce their prices in the off-season.
Father Kneipp is treated with great reverence in the town, which is not surprising since his legacy means employment for many and enrichment for quite a few.
The town's officials tend to be particularly solemn - "po-faced" would be unkind - when it comes to everything Kneippian, which is why I was surprised to find the following prominently displayed at  Bad Wörishofen's kurhaus.

This is my 14th visit to Bad Wörishofen, and I have never seen Father Kneipp treated so flippantly before

Kneipp was not a chess player, as far as I know, but then I have been doubting recently whether I can fairly call myself a chess player.
Nevertheless I got off to a winning start yesterday in round one of Bad Wörishofen U2000.
Spanton (1890) - Karl-Heinz Stolzenwald (1623)
Sicilian Rossolimo
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6
Three world champions, Euwe, Anand and Carlsen, have played this move.
4.Bxc6 bxc6
4...dxc6 is regarded as the main line, but the text has been played by some strong players and is preferred by the analysis engine Stockfish10.
5.d3 d6 6.0-0!?
The most-popular move in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database, and is liked by Komodo9, but it scores badly.
6...g6?!
Black should probably play 6...e5, with a very reasonable position.

My next move seems to be a novelty

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7.e5!
This somewhat obvious move is a novelty, or at least is not in Mega19. The exclamation mark is for the move's effectiveness rather than for any special merit on my part.
7...Nh5
The engines slightly prefer 7...dxe5, but if isolating his doubled c pawns is Black's best move, then Black is in trouble.
8.exd6 Qxd6
I was expecting 8...exd6, but White is quite a bit better after 9.Re1+ Be6 10.Ng5 Qd7 11.Nxe6 fxe6 12.Nc3 (Komodo9) or 9.d4!? Be6 (9...cxd4 10.Nxd4 Be6 11.Re1 Qd7 12.Nc3) 10.dxc5 dxc5 11.Qe2 (Stockfish10).
9.Nc3 Bf5 10.Ne4 Bxe4 11.dxe4 Qxd1 12.Rxd1
Black is clearly better, and I did go on to convert my advantage (1-0, 44 moves).

Two More Tube Puzzles

TRAVELLING on the Northern Line to Colliers Wood to meet a chess friend recently on his 83rd birthday, I was greeted by two more-interesting-than-usual serial numbers on the carriages I rode in.
Heading south, the serial number was 52594. As usual, each number should be used once, and once only, and must be added, subtracted, multiplied or divided to make a balanced equation.
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My solution: 9 = (4 x 2) + (5 ÷  5)
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Returning north, the serial number was 51649. As usual, each number should be used once, and once only, and must be added, subtracted, multiplied or divided to make a balanced equation.
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My solution: 9 + 1 = 5 x (6 - 4)

Only Move

PLAYED for Battersea 2 against Beckenham & Charlton in London League division three last night.

White has to find an only move in Spanton (171) - John Wager (188)

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36.Qxc6??
White is better, albeit it is still very much a game, after 36.Qc5 Bxg3! 37.Nf3.
36...Bd4
But now White is lost as there is no way to defend f2. The remaining moves were:
37.h4 Qxd2 38.e5 Qxf2+ 39.Kh3 Qf1+ 40.Kh2 Qg1+ 41.Kh3 Bf2 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
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
CLL...…..W...…..171...………..186...…………..D
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..153...…………..D
LL...……W...…...171...………..188...…………..L
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +5=11-8 for a grading performance of 169.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.

More Blunders

BOTH my Sunday games at the 70th Hampstead U2200 were decided by ridiculous blunders.

White to make his 15th move in the round-four game Alex Leslie (1763/167) - Spanton (1890/171)

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15.Qd2?? g5 (0-1, 25moves)
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It was my turn to blunder in round five, and in a not dissimilar way.

White to make his 18th move in Spanton (1890/171) - Jonathan Rubeck (1822/167)

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18.c3?? h6 (0-1, 39 moves)
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My final score of +2=1-2 was an ECF grading performance of 167.8, and cost me 8.2 Fide rating points.

Mutual Missed Opportunities

BOTH players missed winning chances in my round-three game at the 70th Hampstead U2200.
I guess another way to look at it is that both players deserved to lose.
Anyway, here is the first critical position:

Black to make his 23rd move in Einora Juciute (1760/154) - Spanton (1890/171)

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23...h6??
Black wins easily after 23...Bxf1. The point is that Black's king is much safer than it might seem at first glance, eg 24.Nf6+ gxf6 25.Qxh7+ Kf8. The annoying part is that I had earlier seen this idea of running away with the king, but promptly forgot when the position actually arose on the board.
24.Nf6+ gxf6??
This should lose. Correct was the calm 24...Kh8 when there seems no way for White to crash through. My main analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo9 agree the main line is 25.Be4 Bxf1 26.Rxf1 Qe6 27.Bxa8 Rxa8 28.Rd1 Bf8, both giving Black a slight edge. There are more than a few plausible alternatives in that line, but the important thing is that it is still a game, while after the text Black is lost.
25.Qxh6 Bd3 26.exf6 Bf8 27.Qg5+ Kh8 28.Qh5+ Kg8 29.Qg5+ ½–½
White is a pawn up and with much the safer king after descending the ladder with 29.Qg4+ Kh8 30.Qg4+ Kg8 31.Qg3+ Kh8 32.Bxd3 Qxf6. Black would play on, but White should win.

Blunder!

MADE a horrible blunder against the top seed, a junior born in 2003, in round two of the 70th Hampstead U2200.

White to make his 29th move in Spanton (1890/171) - Federico Rocco (2174/211)

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My main analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo9 reckon the game is dead equal after 29.Kh2, eg 29...Rc1 30.Qb5, when Black's back rank is just as vulnerable as White's.
Instead I played 29.Qa6?? Black replied 29...Qf4 (29...Rc1+ 30.Kh2 Qf4 is even stronger). White is completely busted. The remaining moves were 30.Qd3 Rc1+ 31.Kh2 Qxh4+ 32.Rh3 Qf4+ 33.Qg3 Qf1 34.Qe3 Re1 35.Qh6 Qg1+ 36.K3 Re3+ 0-1

Castling Into It

PLAYING at the 70th Hampstead weekend congress, which as usual is in three sections: U2200, U1900 & U160ECF, and U135ECF.
Spanton (1890/171) - Shane Frith (1639/140)
French Winawer
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 Ne7
This popular alternative to the main move 4...c5 has been played by Kramnik, Carlsen and Caruana. It dates back to at least 1888 when Tarrasch chose it in a win over von Gottschall, and it was a favourite of Ragozin. Usually the two moves transpose.
5.Bd2
As against 4...c5, White's main move is 5.a3.
5...b6
A common positional idea - Black hopes to exchange his bad bishop for White's good one.
6.a3!?
This move scores just 30% in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database, the point being that spending a tempo to win the bishop-pair is suspect when the bishop-pair may not last very long.
6...Bxc3 7.Bxc3 Ba6 8.Bxa6
8.Nge2!? to preserve the bishop-pair has been played by a 2397 but looks awkward.
8...Nxa6

Who is better?

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White has a bad bishop but more space in the centre and will find it easier to manoeuvre on the kingside. Black's a6 knight is a bit out on a limb, but otherwise his position has no real weaknesses. Stockfish10 reckons White is slightly better after 9.Qg4; Komodo9 suggests 9.Qe2 or 9.Nf3 but reckons the position is equal.
9.Qd3 Qc8!?
More popular is 9...Nb8. The text has been played by a 2490 but it does not seem to be a good use of the queen, and will prove a serious loss of time if the a6 knight has to retreat later anyway.
10.Nf3
This may be new. 10.Bd2 has been played by a 2282, and 10.Ne2 by a 2240. Part of my reason for playing 10.Nf3 was in the hope that Black would play …
10...0-0??
Two question marks might seem harsh but Black is now almost certainly lost. Much better was 10...c5, attempting to justify Black's ninth move. Black is then probably OK, which does suggest that my sixth move was not the best.
11.Ng5 g6?!
11...Ng6 12.h4 is also horrible for Black, but at least does not weaken the dark squares around Black's king.
12.Qh3 h5 13.g4
Both engines reckon White is winning (1-0, 63 moves).

Réti's French Gambit

TURNED out for Battersea 3 against London Deaf last night in division two of the Central London League.
Alasdair MacLeod (153) - Spanton (171)
French Réti
1.e4 e6. 2.b3!?
The idea behind this move is that Black has committed himself to ...e6, so White's dark-square bishop will be well-placed on b2 as it would cost Black another tempo to block the bishop with ...e5, which is a popular way to meet 1.b3.
2...d5 3.Bb2!?
A gambit, apparently first played by Réti against Maroczy in 1920.
3...dxe4 4.Nc3 Nf6
The greedy-looking 4...f5!? has been played by Gurevich and Luther.
5.Qe2 Be7

Should White immediately recapture, or is there something better?

6.Nxe4
Réti played 6.0-0-0 against Maroczy (the game was drawn), but the text came to be more popular over the years. It is preferred at first by the analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo9, although Stockfish10 also likes Réti's choice if given sufficient time.
6...Nxe4
The engines much prefer 6...0-0. I presume what they dislike about my move is that it centralises White's queen while unblocking White's light-square bishop.
7.Qxe4 Bf6 8.d4
White scores a very good 58% with this move in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database.
8...Qd5 9.Bd3 Bd7 10.Qxd5 exd5 11.0-0-0 0-0
This seems to be a new move, and is a rather obvious improvement on 11...Nc6?! 12.Re1+ Ne7 13.Ba3, which was seen in a loss by a 2190 in 2009.
After the text I felt Black was slightly better thanks to the awkwardness of White's d4 pawn blocking his dark-square bishop. But Stockfish10 slightly prefers White, although Komodo9 reckons the position is equal (½–½, 28 moves).
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
CLL...…..W...…..171...………..186...…………..D
CLL...…..B...…...171...………..153...…………..D
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +5=11-7 for a grading performance of 170.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.

Assess This Ending

MOROZEVICH had a second interesting ending at the 2001 super-tournament in the Kazakh capital Astana.

White to make his 41st move in Morozevich (2749) - Kasparov (2827)

White is temporarily a pawn up but Black has the more active king and bishop. What should the result be - a definite win for White; White is better but not necessarily winning; draw; Black is better but not necessarily winning; a definite win for Black?
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"All White's pawns are horrible and so his position should be lost," write IM Vladimir Barsky and GM Alexander Baburin in the October 2001 edition of Chess Life.
41.Bc4 Bxe4
In ChessBase's 2019 Mega database, GM Ľubomír Ftáčnik (or is it Luc Winants? Both are separately credited as annotating the game) comments: "Despite equality in the number of pawns, (the) endgame is very difficult for White (as) Black enjoys (the) better pawn-structure and more-active king."
42.Re2 f5 43.Bd3 Kf4 44.Bxe4 fxe4 45.Rf2+ Ke3 46.Rf8 e5
Barsky & Baburin give this an exclamation mark but (with the help of Komodo9 and Stockfish10) it is far from clear that the text is any better than getting on with it with 46...Ke2.
47.Re8 Rc7 48.Rxe5
Barsky & Baburin give this a question mark, saying White should have activated his king with 48.Kg3. The analysis engines disagree.
48...Kf4
This gets an exclamation mark from Barsky & Baburin. Stockfish10 agrees immediately that it is the best move, and Komodo9 follows suit if given enough time. However, the engines agree 48...Rxc2+ also wins easily.
49.Rb5 Rxc2+ 50.Kg1 e3 51.Rxb4+ Kf3 52.Rb1 Rg2+ 53.Kh1
If 53.Kf1 then 53...e2+ 54.Ke1 Rg1+.
53...e2 54.a4
The sort of despairing move I have played many times - it clearly does not achieve anything, but what else can White do (apart from resign)?
54...Kf2 55.a5 Rg5 56.Kh2 Rxa5 57.h4 Ra3 0-1
Getting back to the question I posed at the start, the engines (as well as Barsky and Baburin) reckon the diagrammed position is definitely won for Black.

Win Or Draw?

HERE is an interesting rook-and-pawn ending from a super-tournament played in 2001 in the Kazakh capital Astana.

Black to make his 55th move in Shirov - Morozevich

"All rook endings are drawn" is a well-known aphorism by Tartakower, or was it Tarrasch? It certainly sounds more like the former to me.
Anyway, more to the point, is this endgame a win for White or a draw?
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55...Kb4?
This looks natural, but Black lost a second pawn after 56.Rb6+ Kc5 57.Rxh6, and eventually the game.
Later, according to IM Vladimir Barsky and GM Alexander Baburin, writing in the October 2001 edition of Chess Life, Morozevich was told by Ablai Mirzahmetov, president of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, that children in the audience nearly screamed out the saving move 55...Rxh5! (this draws because 56.Ra5+ Kb4 57.Rxh5 is stalemate).
Morozevich apparently replied: "Next time they should scream louder."
Would I have done better than grandmaster Morozevich? Well, immodest as it may seem, I might well have done as a very similar idea occurred in my game against the Turkish player Burak Akguc (unrated at the time, but now 2120) at the 1997-8 Hastings Challengers'.

White has just played 49.Ke3xf4? in Akguc - Spanton (2065)

BA should have played 49.gxf4! as 49...Rxb4 50.Rxa7 Kxh4 wins for White after the only-move 51.Rh7+, according to the Nalimov endgame tablebase.
After the move played, 49.Kxf4?, the game finished:
49...Rxb4+ 50.Kf5 Rb5+ 51.Kf4
Or 51.Kf6 Rf5+! etc.
51...Rb4+ 52.Ke3 Rb3+ 53.Kf2 Rxf3+! ½–½

Chess Crisis?

I WAS hoping to play for Battersea tonight in division one of the London League - but our opponents, Kings Head, have cried off.
Their captain was apparently unable to find 10 players willing to turn out on a Wednesday evening.
I am not one of those doomsayers who reckon the future of chess is bleak.
I think chess is doing very well when you consider how many other distractions there are these days (Man Utd having a big Champions League game tonight, for example).
But when a club as famous as Kings Head cannot raise a team ...

Longest Decisive Game Without A Capture (continued)

WHAT grandmaster Larry Evans apparently did not know when writing his column for the October 2001 edition of Chess Life was that the record set in 1993 for the longest decisive game without a capture had been beaten by a couple of unrateds not long after it was set.
Reinhard Nuber - Roland Keckeisen
Oberschwaben B 1994
Hippopotamus Defence
1.e4 b6 2.d4 e6 3.Bd3 Bb7 4.Nf3 g6 5.0-0 Bg7 6.Nbd2 Nge7 7.Re1 0-0 8.Nf1 d6 9.Qe2 Nd7 10.Bg5 Qe8 11.Rad1 a5 12.c3 Rc8 13.Ng3 Kh8

A typical-looking Hippo

White has completed his development, including bringing his rooks to the centre files, without allowing himself to be provoked into overreaching.
Black presumably hopes White will present a target. Meanwhile he quietly manoeuvres with his pieces on the back two ranks. He has no obvious weaknesses, but is passive and lacks space.
14.Qd2 Ng8 15.h3 e5 16.Bc2 h6 17.Be3 Rd8 18.Nh2 Kh7 19.f4
White is at last ready to take some action on the kingside. This is often the critical point in Hippo games.
19...f6
My main analysis engines strongly dislike the text, but reckon White is better anyway after 19...c5  (Stockfish10) or 19...Ngf6 (Komodo9). They also reckon 19...Qe7 keeps White's advantage within manageable bounds.
20.Qf2 Ne7 21.Rd2 Rh8 22.f5
This has been in the air since White's 19th move. It is clear Black's king is less safe.
22...g5 23.Bd1 Rb8!? 24.Bh5 Qf8
More consistent with Black's last move was 24...Qd8 or 24...Qc8.
25.Ng4
An immediate 25.Bg6+ was possible, taking advantage of Black's undefended knight at d7, eg 25...Nxg6 26.fxg6+ Kg8 (26...Kxg6 27.Qf5+ etc) 27.Qe2 with a very strong attack.
25...Ba6 26.Red1 b5 27.b4 a4 28.a3 Bb7 29.Rd3 Nc6?
This allows mate. Black was positionally lost anyway, but should have made White prove it.
30.Bg6+ Kg8 31.Qa2+ 1-0
This beats the Gual Pascual - Bates game by one half-move. But Bates still holds the record for the longest decisive game won by Black without a capture...unless someone knows otherwise.

Longest Decisive Game Without A Capture

GOING through an old copy of Chess Life, the magazine of the US Chess Federation, I was surprised to see English international master Richard Bates credited as being the winner of the longest chess game to end decisively without a capture.
The game is given in grandmaster Larry Evans' column in the October 2001 issue of the magazine, albeit without notes (presumably for space reasons).
Antonio Gual Pascual (2350) - Bates (2235)
Lloyds Bank (London) 1993
King's Indian Defence
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6. 5.Nge2!?
This move has been played by at least four world champions (or world-champions-to-be), Euwe, Botvinnik, Anand and Carlsen, scoring 57% in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database.
5...c6 6.f3 a6 7.Be3 Nbd7 8.a4 a5 9.Qd2 0-0 10.Rd1 Qc7 11.Nc1 e5 12.d5 Ne8 13.Nb3 c5 14.Bd3 f5 15.Qc2
The engines do not like this, reckoning White is much better after 15.Nb5 or the spoil-sport 15.exf5.
15...Nb6 16.Ra1 Qf7 17.Nb5 Nd7 18.Nd2 Nb8 19.Qc3 b6 20.Ke2!?
20.0-0 might have been better, but note that 20.0-0-0, although maybe desirable in view of the blocked nature of the queenside, is impossible - the queen's rook has already moved.
20...Na6 21.Raf1 Nb4 22.Bb1 Qe7 23.h4 f4 24.Bf2 Nf6 25.Rfg1 Nh5 26.Nf1 Rf7 27.Kd1 Qf8

Any idea who, if anyone, stands better?

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Positional battles with a full board of pieces are difficult for computers to assess as well as for humans. Komodo9 reckons Black has the upper hand, but Stockfish10 prefers White after a consolidating move such as 28.b3 or 28.Qd2.
28.Bd3 Kh8 29.Be2 Kg8
I am guessing time trouble was playing its part, especially in view of White's next move.
30.Kc1?? Na2+ 0-1
to be continued

Another Tube Puzzle

THE serial number of the Northern Line carriage I travelled in to Colliers Wood yesterday: 51649.
As usual, each number should be used once, and once only, and must be added, subtracted, multiplied or divided to make a balanced equation.
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My solution: 1 + 9 = 5 x (6 - 4)

Impressive Defence

I WAS under the cosh for much of the middlegame playing for Battersea 2 against league-leaders HMC in division one of the Central London League last night.
But I held on, and in the diagram below have just played 45.Nd4-e6, with threats of penetrating with my queen, eg 45...Kf7? 46.Ng5+ Kg8 47.Qb6, when White has a very strong attack (Black can check on f1 but the White king will be perfectly safe going to h2).

Can you find Black's best move in Spanton (171) - Andrew Gilfillan (186)?

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45...d4!
My main analysis engines, Stockfish10 and Komodo9, agree this is Black's best defence, reckoning the pawn sac gives Black full equality. The point is that after the forced …
46.Nxd4
… White has no way of combining queen and knight to attack Black's exposed king. The knight cannot return to e6, and the queenside pawns are firmly blockaded. Meanwhile Black has the bishop-pair and a protected passed pawn, but also cannot make progress. The game should be drawn, which it was (albeit after time-trouble errors).
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
CLL...…..W...…..171...………..186...…………..D
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +5=10-7 for a grading performance of 171.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.