Central Tube Puzzle

SAW this serial number on a Central Line carriage: 92239
As usual, each number should be used once, and once only, and must be added, subtracted, multiplied or divided to make a balanced equation.
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
My solution: 3 + (9 ÷ 9) = 2 + 2

How To Offer A Draw

I WAS offered eight draws in my five games in the U2200 section of the 71st Hampstead weekend congress.
Only one player - Stephen Prior (2075 Fide/190 ECF) - managed to (almost) make his offer in the prescribed manner, which is:
1. Make your move.
2. Say words to the effect of: "Would you like a draw?"
3. Press the clock.
4. Write the move on your scoresheet and follow it with '(=)'.
It really is not very difficult, but SP was the only one who came close to following procedure (and even he missed out step four).

Adult Shocker

I WAS on top board against a non-junior in the last round of the 71st Hampstead U2200, drawing with a player rated 2075/190. My final score of +3=1-1 means a Fide rating gain of 0.2 elo and an ECF performance of 186.2

71st Hampstead - Day Two

I WAS paired against my fourth junior in the fourth round of the 71st Hampstead U2200 this morning, winning in 44 moves against a played rated 1720/190.

Another Two Rounds, Another Two Juniors

IN rounds two and three of the U2200 section at Hampstead's 71st weekend congress yesterday I faced juniors rated 1733/156 and 1537/141. I won both games, albeit in 68 and 78 moves respectively.

71st Hampstead - Round One

WHITE to play and win in Spanton (1914/171) - Alex Barlov (1676/154).

*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
The game went 38.Rxd2?? Qxd2+ (I had missed that this was with check) 39.Bxd2 Rxf3 (0-1, 44 moves)
Correct was 38.Bxd2, when Black can resign as 38...Rxf3 is simply met by 39.Bxe1.

Hampstead

AM playing at Adam Raoof's 71st Hampstead weekend congress, and in round one have white against a 1676/154 junior.
The carriage of the Northern Line train I caught from Moorgate had the serial number 51681, which makes for an interesting 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.
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
My solution: 6 ÷ (8 - 5) = 1 + 1

King's Gambit Declined - An Offbeat Line For White

TURNED out for Battersea 2 against Pimlico Knights in division one of the Central London League last night.
Nick Faulks (172) - Spanton (171)
King's Gambit Declined
1.e4 e5 2.f4 Bc5 3.Nc3!?
Automatic for many players is 3.Nf3, but the position after the text was reached as White by many of the old masters including Steinitz, Chigorin, Paulsen, Blackburne, Zukertort, Pillsbury and Schlechter.
3...d6
3...Bxg1 4.Rxg1 Qh4+?! 5.g3 Qxh2 looks too greedy. White in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database scores 90% with 6.Rg2.
4.Bc4!?
4.Nf3 would transpose to one of the main lines of the King's Gambit Declined. The text is an aggressive attempt to keep the game on independent tracks. Another interesting try is 4.fxe5!?, a favourite of French grandmaster Christian Bauer.
4...Bxg1
The critical line, but Black can play more calmly with 4...Nf6, reaching a position that occurred three times in the Zukertort - Anderssen match of 1871 (Zukertort, as White, won all three games).
5.Rxg1 Qh4+ 6.Kf1 Bg4?!
This may be a novelty. I rejected the most popular move, 6...Qxf4, because of 7.Qf3 Qxf3 (7...Qxh2?? 8.Qxf7+) 8.gxf3, when White's king is no longer in danger and he has a lead in development and the bishop-pair for his pawn. My main analysis engines, Stockfish10 and Komodo9, like 6...Nf6,
7.Qe1
Retreating the king's bishop or the knight is the wrong idea in this type of position.
7...Qxh2
Exchanging queens slightly favours White, according to the engines.
8.d4?!
It is natural to get on with development and to not want to move a piece for the second time so early, but 8.Nd5! was hard to meet. Black could save the exchange by playing 8...Kd7, but White can reply 9.d4, when the interpolation of Nd5 and ...Kd7 can only help White.
Black has alternatives, including sacing the exchange for two pawns by 8...Na6!? 9.Bxa6 bxa6 10.Nxc7+ Kf8!? (the choice of Stockfish10 and Komodo9) 11.Nxa8 Qxf4+ 12.Qf2 Qxd4, followed by picking up the knight with a murky position.
8...Nc6 9.Bb5?!
On this occasion moving a piece for a second time is almost certainly wrong, but it is hard to come up with a good move for White. Stockfish10 suggests 9.Nd5, but Black is clearly better after 9...0-0-0. Komodo9 likes White's compensation for the pawn after 9.fxe5 dxe5 10.d5 Nd4, but I find it hard not to agree with Stockfish10's assessment that Black is well on top.
9...exd4 10.Nd5 Kd7?
I rejected the very strong 10...0-0-0 because of 11.Bxc6 bxc6 12.Qa5??, somehow missing the winning 12...cxd5.
11.Qa5
Turning the tables - suddenly Black's king is the one in more danger.
11...Rc8 12.Qxa7

Black to play and save the game

*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
12...Be2+! 13.Kxe2 Qxg1 14.Qxb7 Qxg2+ 15.Kd1 Qf3+ 16.Kd2 Qf2+
The queen cannot mate by itself, so the try 16...Nge7?! is very risky, eg 17.Nxe7 (this seems better than 17...Nb6?! 18.Ke6) Kxe7 18.Qxc6 Qe3+ 19.Kd1, when the perpetual is no longer on. The resulting position is unclear - the engines at first tend to favour White, but come to rate the chances as equal.
17.Kd1 Qf3+ ½–½
My updated Battersea statistics for 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
LL...……W...…...171...………..153...…………..L
CLL...…..B...……171...……….172...…………...D
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +5=12-10 for a grading performance of 164.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.

Blast From The Past

GOING through old notes, I came across a very interesting pawn ending.

It is White to make his 34th move, but what should the result be?

*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
Material is level. White has more space on the kingside and, theoretically at least, in the centre; Black has more space on the queenside and his king is more advanced. Both players have a reserve tempo - g2-g3 for White, h7-h6 for Black.
The game was won by Black:
34.g3 c5 35.dxc5 c6?
Over-elaboration. The obvious 35...Kxc5 wins.
36.Ke3?
All king moves clearly lose, so White should have tried the only other possible move, 36.c4, which draws after 36...bxc4+ 37.Ke3 Kxc5 38.c3, when Black has no way into White's position.
36...Kc4 37.Kd2 h6 38.Kd1 Kxc3 Leo Keely (174) - Spanton (173), Hastings Challengers' 1998-99 (0-1, 42 moves)
Going back to the diagram, White had a draw: 34.c4+! bxc4+ 35.Ke3, eg 35...c5 36.dxc5 Kxc5 37.c3.
A little earlier in the game, there was a position in which analysis engines point out two possible draws for White.

White to make his 33rd move

*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
33.c4+ draws in a similar fashion to the line already given, but with the nuance that Black can try (unsuccessfully) to penetrate with his king down the a file, eg 33...bxc4+ 34.Ke3 c5 35.dxc5 Kxc5 36.c3 Kb5 37.Kd2 Ka4 38.Kc2 Ka3 39.Kb1. and White holds.
Even better for White, because it gives Black a plausible losing chance, is 33.a4+!, eg 33...bxa4? 34.c4+ Kd6 35.c5+ Kd7 (not 35...Kd5?? 36.c4#) 36.Kc3 etc.
However, Black draws easily enough, eg 33...h6 34.g3 Kd6 35.c4 b4 - an only move, but now it is White who cannot make progress, eg 36.Ke4 c5 37.d5, and Black can even play the cheeky 37...b3!? and still draw.

Great Northern 'Tube Puzzle'

RETURNING home from a walk in the Bayford area of Hertfordshire, I rode in a Great Northern carriage with the serial number 62648.
As usual, each number should be used once, and once only, and must be added, subtracted, multiplied or divided to make a balanced equation.
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
My solution: 8 x (6 ÷ 6) = 4 x 2

Seven Highlights From Seven Rounds At Southend

MY seven games from the Southend Open over Easter were not without interest, even if some of the 'highlights' are staggering blunders.
Round One

Spanton (1914 Fide/171 ECF) - James Golding (2137/196)

The position is easily recognisable as being from an Exchange Spanish.
White has the better pawn-structure, while Black has the bishop-pair. That is why in the diagram I have just played 13.Be3-f4.
My main analysis engines, Stockfish10 and Komodo9, want Black to play 13...Bxf4!?, when Komodo9 reckons the game is equal but Stockfish10 prefers Black.
Black's alternative is to allow White to capture on d6 after, say, 13...f6 or 13...Ng6, when Black's pawns are undoubled but he gets a backward pawn on the d file.
JG must have been thinking along the latter lines, but his choice of 13...Rfe8?? was met by 14.e5 (1-0, 53 moves)
Round Two
I have already blogged about the ending in Tim Hebbes (2075/186) - Spanton (1914/171): https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2019/04/good-friday.html
Round Three
Black came up with a very interesting positional pawn sacrifice in Spanton (1914/171) - Henrik Stepanyan (2202/212).

White has just played 13.a2-a4

*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
13...c4!? 14.dxc4 bxa4 15.Rxa4?
I wanted to keep some pressure on Black's passed-but-isolated pawn, but there is no way I am going to be able to bring enough pieces to bear to inconvenience Black. Correct was 15.Bxa4, when the light-square bishop has some activity, with the engines even reckoning White is better.
15...Nb7
This move would have made no sense after 15.Bxa4 as White could solve the problem of his light-square bishop with 16.Bc6.
16.Nd2 Nc5 17.Ra1 Bb7 18.f3 Nh4
Stockfish10 and Komodo9 reckon the position is equal, but I believe most people would much prefer to be Black. In any event the game saw:
19.g4?? Nf4 20.Qh2 Qh4 (0-1, 29 moves)
Round Four
Eddy Barker (no Fide/180) - Spanton (1914/171) was a London System that began 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 e6 3.Nf3 Bd6 4.Bg3 Nc6!? 5.e3 Nf6 6.Nbd2 Qe7!?
The idea of Black's set-up with 4...Nc6!? and 6...Qe7!? is to take over the centre with a quick ...e5. White should almost certainly challenge this with 7.c4, 7.Bb5 or 7.Ne5. Instead EB played:
7.c3?!
This is Stockfish10's second choice, but the move is surely too passive and, once it has been executed on the board, Stcokfish10 flashes red (meaning mistake), eventually changing to yellow (dubious).
7...e5 8.dxe5 Nxe5 9.Nxe5 Bxe5 10.Nf3!?
I expected 10.Bxe5 Bxe5 11.Nf3, when Black may be slightly better thanks to having more space in the centre.
10...Bxg3 11.hxg3

Who stands better, and why?

*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
White has a half-open h file, which more than compensates for the doubled g pawns. He also has the slightly better bishop (based on Black having a central pawn fixed on a light square). Black has more space in the centre.
I felt these factors added up to a slight edge for Black. Stockfish10 has Black about three-fifths of a pawn up after 11...0-0!? or 11...h5!?, whereas Komodo9 reckons the position is dead equal (½–½, 35 moves)
Round Five

How would you punctuate Black's last move of 16...d5-d4 in Spanton (1914/171) - Michael Catabay (no Fide/177), and why?

*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
Objectively Black should have probably got on with development by 16...Be6, when the engines prefer White thanks to White's pressure in the centre. But I would annotate the move MC played as 16...d4!? because it sets a trap that I promptly fell into:
17.cxd4
The engines much prefer White after 17.Ne4! dxe3 18.Bc4+ Kh8 19.Rxd6 exf2+ 20.Nxf2, presumably mainly due to Black's lagging development.
17...cxd4 18.Bc4+ Kh8 19.Bxd4?
White is still better after 19.Bd2 (Stockfish10) or 19.Ne4 (Komodo9).
19...Nxd4 20.Rxd4 Bc5
Black gains the exchange and has good winning chances (but ½–½, 31 moves)
Round Six

White has just played 16.Qd3 in Andrew Talbot (2096/no ECF) - Spanton (1914/171)

White is a (doubled) pawn up but has weaknesses and it is not clear where his king will find safety.
The engines reckon the game is dynamically balanced if Black either castles long or adds to the pressure on the kingside by playing 16...h5.
Instead I hatched a plan for capturing White's e5 pawn by playing …Ra5, but first I wanted to prevent White from interposing his c pawn by replying c5.
16...b6??
Weakening the long light-square diagonal is fatal.
17.Qf3
Not the only move, but good enough for an advantage.
17...Ra5 18.Nd6+??
The correct way to sac the knight was 18.Nf6+, when the more-or-less forced line 18...gxf6 19.exf6 Bxf6 20.Bd2! (attacking Black pieces at a5 and f6 simultaneously) Bg5 21.Qxc6 Bxd2+ 22.Kxd2 leaves White still a pawn up but with a much freer position.
18...cxd6 19.Qxc6 Qxc6??
I rejected 19...dxe5 because of 20.Qxb6??, but that loses to 20...Bd8. So White would have to retreat his dark-square bishop, after which Black is better.
20.Bxc6+ Bd7 21.Bxd7+?
Better is 21.Bd5 as then 21...dxe5? would be bad because of 22.Bxe5 and Black can only avoid going a second pawn down by allowing 22...Bf6 23.Bxf6 gxf6, when Black has multiple weaknesses (as well as still being a pawn down).
21...Kxd7 22.exd6 Bxd6 23.Bxd6 Kxd6
The smoke has cleared and White remains a pawn to the good (1-0, 61 moves)
Round Seven
I was two pawns up from out of the opening in Spanton (1914/171) - Viktor Jamroz (1746/162).

White to make his 16th move

*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
16.Kb1??
A 'safety-first' move that is anything but.
16...Nc3+ 17.Bxc3 dxc3 18.b3 Nb4 19.a3
The only saving move, but good enough.
19...Nd5 20.Rxd5??
As VJ pointed out afterwards, this exchange sac was completely unnecessary. I should have gone with my other main thought of 20.Rd4.
20...exd5 21.Qd4
Certainly not 21.Qxd5?? as Black replies 21...Be6, with ...Rd1+ to come.
21...Qh6?!
Probably not best, although it works out swimmingly in the game. The engines like 21...Qa5, with an unclear position.
22.Qxc3 Rc8 23.Qd2??
I should have avoided an exchange of queens with 23.Qd3 or 23.Qb4, when the engines prefer White.
23...Qxd2 24.Nxd2 Bf5
I had seen this, but missed the strength of it.
25.Bd3?!
The engines suggest 25.Nf3, but still regard Black as comfortably winning.
25...Bxd3 26.cxd3 Rxg2
White has two pawns for the exchange, but too many of the White pawns are weak (0-1, 48 moves)

Southend - The End

LOST in the last round today to a 1746 junior, meaning I finished on +1=3-3 for a Fide rating loss of 3 elo and an ECF grading performance of 171.1.

Southend Open - Day Three

THIS morning, for the second-round running, I drew against an opponent with no Fide rating but with an ECF higher than mine (in today's case higher by six points). This afternoon I lost in 61 moves to a 2096.

Southend Open - Day Two

LOST this morning as White against a 2202 in a game in which I was first outplayed positionally and then fell apart tactically.
This afternoon I drew as Black against a player without a Fide rating but who has an ECF of 180 - nine points higher than mine.

Good Friday

I AM seeded 25th out of a final total of 44 entries in the Southend Open, which is being run as seven rounds over four days.
This morning I beat a 2137 after he allowed me me to trap his bishop on move 14. He played on but was unable to conjure a swindle.
This afternoon I reached the following position after 34 moves against another opponent rated quite a bit higher than I am.

White has just captured my queen on e5 and offered a draw in Tim Hebbes (2075) - Spanton (1914)

34...Nxe5 35.Re3 Rf5 36.Kg2?
The analysis engines Komodo9 and Stockfish10 strongly prefer 36.Nd2 or 36.h3, but note that going after the a4 pawn with 36.Nc3?? is a dreadful blunder because of 36...d4.
36...Kg6 37.Nd2 Ng4 38.Re2 Re5 39.Kf3
Or 39.Rxe5 Nxe5, when the black king and knight are better than their white counterparts, and Black has a protected passed pawn.
39...Rxe2 40.Kxe2 Kf5?
Over-sophistication. Black has big winning chances after the obvious 40...Nxh2. The engines give the main line as 41.b3 Ng4! 42.bxa4 Nf6, when it is hard to believe White can survive with all his pawns isolated and half of them doubled.
After the text, the game is equal.
41.h3 Nf6 42.Ke3 h5 43.Kd4 Ke6 44.b3 axb3 45.Nxb3 Ne4 46.Na5 Nxg3 47.Nxb7 Ne2+
This seems to draw, but maybe 47...Nf5+ was simpler.
48.Ke3 Nc3 49.Na5 Kd7 50.Nb3 Ke6?!
Again this may not be the most accurate. The engines prefer 50...Na4, eg 51.Kf4 Ke6 52.Kg5 Ke5 53.Kxh5, when Black is a pawn down but apparently draws with 53...d4.
51.Na5
The engines reckon White is slightly better after 51.Kd3 or, according to Komodo9, 51.Nd4+.
51...Kd7 ½–½
So, my Friday results were good, but I cannot say the same for my endgame technique.

Magnificent Seven?

EASTER is traditionally a popular time for congresses around the country.
The ECF website lists four in south England alone: Coulsdon, Exmouth, Southend and Stevenage.
I have entered Southend, which has seven sections: masters (12 entries), open (40), U1900&U160 (28), U145 (8), U120 (21), U95 (10) and rapid (23).
That is 142 entries in all - a mean average of 20.3 per section. I am in the open, which starts tomorrow.

Battersea Club Chumpion

MY bid to become champion of Battersea Chess Club suffered something of a setback last night, despite my opponent offering me a golden opportunity when I was a piece-for-a-pawn down.

White has just played 40.Kg2-g3?? in Tim Valentine (134) - Spanton (171)

*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
40...g5??
This is easily parried.
Analysis engines have no trouble finding 40...Qc7, when White cannot save the knight, so Black has serious winning chances.
The game finished: 41.Qf3 Kh7 42.Bxg5 Bxg5 43.Qxf7+ 1-0

Top Advice

IDLY filling in a spare moment by going through an old copy of Chess magazine (from September 2017), I came across a Q&A with international master Craig Hanley.
"A tip please for the club player: Play openings that you enjoy! A hobby is supposed to be leisure time where you relax and have fun."
It is hard to argue with that advice, but how many of us follow it?

Another Moderately Difficult Tube Puzzle

HERE is another serial number from a Northern Line carriage: 53678.
As usual, each number should be used once, and once only, and must be added, subtracted, multiplied or divided to make a balanced equation.
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
My solution: 8 - 5  =  3 ÷  (7 - 6)

Painful

MY opponent in the last round at Jersey failed to show, so I finished the tournament on +0=2-5 for a Fide rating loss of 30.8 elo.

A Tale Of Two Islands

Spanton (1914) - Ian Heppell (2001)
Jersey Round 8
Botvinnik English
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 f5
Black is playing the Grand Prix Attack with colours reversed and a tempo less.
4.Bg2 Nf6 5.a3!?
This move goes all the way back to a game of Bird's in 1889 (he lost) and has been played in more modern times by Nakamura, Naiditsch and other strong players. The idea - at least, my idea in playing it - is to stop Black playing ...Bb4 (Bb5 being a popular move for White in the Grand Prix Attack proper).
The most popular line in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database runs 5.d3 Bb4 6.Bd2 0-0 7.a3 Bxc3 8.Bxc3 d6 9.Nf3 Qe8, reaching a position from which Black scores a stupendous 63%, but which my main analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo9 regard as quite a bit better for White.
The last time I had White against IH, also in the Channel Islands, the game continued 5.e3!? (Tony Kosten warns in The Dynamic English against playing this) d5!? 6.Nxd5 Nxd5 7.cxd5 Nb4 8.d3 Nxd5, when, according to Kosten, "Black has a reasonable Sicilian structure." Spanton (2030) - Heppell (2106), Guernsey 2013 (½–½, 17 moves).
5...d6
Most popular is 5...a5, but it is by no means clear that Black has to stop White playing b4.
6.d3 g6!?
Now Black is playing a Closed Sicilian with colours reversed and a tempo down.
7.e4
Arguably more consistent was 7.b4 but the text, which establishes a Botvinnik formation, has been the choice of  at least two 2500+ players.
7...Bg7 8.Nge2 0-0 9.0-0 Ne7
This may be a novelty. Most popular is 9...Be6.
10.b4 c6 11.Bb2 Be6 12.Rc1
Preparation for the c file being opened after a later ...d5.
12...Qd7 13.a4?!
Black's next move shows White's queenside play is too slow.

Can you find Black's thematic move in this type of position?

*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
13...f4! 14.gxf4 Nh5 15.fxe5
The engines agree this is White's best try.
15...dxe5!?
I thought 15...Bxe5 was more dangerous, but the engines prefer the text. The position is certainly unclear, eg after 15...Bxe5, Komodo9 likes 16.f3, which it reckons is slightly better for White, but Stockfish10 reckons 16.f3 is slightly better for Black.
16.Rc2
Again the position is unclear. Komodo9 suggests 16.b5 with equal chances, but Stockfish10 reckons Black is close to winning after meeting 16.b5 with 16...g5 or 16...Rf7.
16...Bh3
The engines prefer a slow build-up with 16...g5 or 16...Rad8.
16...Bh6 looked strong in the postmortem, but as with many moves around here the best continuation is far from clear.
17.f3 Rad8 18.Bc1 Bxg2
The engines want to prepare ...g5 with 18...h6 or 18...Bf6.
19.Kxg2 Nf4+?!
This seems to dissipate what remains of Black's advantage. Again ...h6 and ...Bf6 are liked by the engines.
20.Nxf4?!
The engines agree White is quite a bit better after 20.Bxf4 exf4 21.d4.
20...exf4 21.Ne2 g5 22.d4 Ng6 23.Kh1 Nh4?!
The engines give 23...g4 24.d5 cxd5 25.Qxd5+ Qf7 26.Qxf7+ Rxf7 27.fxg4 Re8, when Black is temporarily two pawns down, but is about to get one back and apparently has almost full compensation for the other one.
24.Qe1?
Better was 24.d5 as the text allows Black a neat combination.

Black to make his 24th move

*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
24...Qh3
This is fine if followed up correctly, but even stronger seems to be 24...Bxd4! We both thought it failed to 25.Rd2, but then comes 25...Qh3 26.Nxd4 Rxd4 27.Rdf2 (27.Rxd4?? Qg2#) Rd3 28.Qe2 Rfd8 with what the engines reckon is a winning attack.
25.Ng1 Qd7
Better is 25...Qc8! with 26...Bxd4 to follow, when Black has restored material equality and still has an attack, although the engines disagree just how much better this is for Black.
26.Ne2
As IH pointed out in the postmortem, White has an edge after 26.Bb2.
The game finished:
26...Qh3 27.Ng1 Qd7 ½–½

A Touch Of The Tartakowers

GRANDMASTER Savielly Tartakower is credited with giving a lecture tour in which he talked about the numerous tournaments he won, the great players he met and the interesting opening ideas he came up with.
But he used to admit to audiences, and I am paraphrasing, he had one big regret in chess: "I have never managed to beat a fully healthy opponent."
Tartakower's confession reminds me I have been on two sets of painkillers since my visit to A&E last week. One of the painkillers, Co-codamol, "may make you sleepy."
On the other hand I have not felt particularly tired during my games in the Jersey Open, although I have been yawning profusely immediately after them.
Today I have been given a compulsory bye, and I hope to get through the day without taking any painkillers, and to do the same tomorrow in preparation for round eight.
Of course I could stay off painkillers till the cows come home and perhaps not improve my chess.

Jersey cows in St Helier - the island's answer to Milton Keynes?

Hallucination

MY miserable Jersey tournament continued today when I lost in 32 moves as White against a local junior.

White to make his 29th move in Spanton (1914) - Jem Gurner (1751)

*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
29.Bd2?
I had sacrificed a pawn in the opening for a long-lasting initiative. My original intent here was to threaten to double on the seventh after 29.Rh7 with what is an unclear position, although Stockfish10 and Komodo9 slightly prefer Black.
Instead I suffered a hallucination that I compounded after …
29...Rd8
… by playing …
30.Bxa5??
There followed:
30...Rxa5 31.Rb8+ Kd7 32.R1b7+ Ke8 0-1

Play The Board, Not The Man

TURNING down a draw offer when your position is slightly inferior can sometimes be justified.
But playing on when you think you are much worse requires exceptional optimism or massive arrogance, or an unhealthy combination of both.
But then I have always been a glass-half-empty person when it comes to draws, regarding them as closer to losses than to wins.
This is true in most football leagues and a few chess tournaments, where it is 3pts for a win and 1pt for a draw, but it is certainly not the case at the Jersey Open.

White has just played 16.Qc2-b3 and offered a draw in Victor Rumsey (1858) - Spanton (1914), round five

The game continued:
16...g5?
I am pretty sure it was Bronstein who said that to lose one's objectivity at the board was to almost invariably lose the game.
17.Bb1 g4 18.Ne5 Qd6 19.Nd3 Qd7 20.Ne2 a5?
If I had seriously asked myself, 'Whose king is in greater danger?', I would have surely played 20...Qd5, which would have forced queens off thanks to Black's threats along the long light-square diagonal.
21.Ne5 Qd6 22.bxa5 Nax5 23.Qxb5 Ba6?
Again it was better to get queens off, even though a pawn down.
24.Qxa5 Bxe2 25.Rd2 Ba6??
A blunder in an already-lost position.
26.Rc6 (1-0, 42 moves)

Missed Opportunities

TODAY was the double-round day at Jersey - necessary to fit nine rounds into a Saturday-to-Saturday schedule - and it turned out for me to be a day of missed opportunities.
First up this morning in round three I had Black.

Black to make his 31st move in Alek Safarian (2005) - Spanton (1914)

*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
31...Rh2??
A ridiculous move that removes any danger from White's king while exposing Black's weak kingside pawns.
I wanted to play 31...g5 but rejected it because of 32.Ne4. What I missed, but Stockfish10 and Komodo9 see instantly, is that Black has 32...Nxe3! as the obvious 33.Bxe3 runs into 33...gxf4. Black is then temporarily down a bishop for two pawns, but threatens to win the e3 bishop or fork White's king and g2 rook, in either case giving Black a winning advantage.
After the text, the game continued ...
32.Rxh2 Nxh2 33.Ne4
… when White's bishop-pair, combined with Black's weak pawns and uncoordinated pieces, gave White a winning advantage (1-0, 53 moves)
***********************************
MY reward for being the only player in the Open on nul points was to be upfloated against the 12th seed in round four.
Spanton (1914) - Paul Curtis (2186)
French Rubinstein (Fort Knox Variation)
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bd7!?
The Fort Knox has a super-solid reputation but seems a strange choice against someone rated 272 elo lower. Stockfish10 at first rates Black's fourth move as giving White a winning position, but soon calms down.
5.Nf3 Bc6 6.Bd3 Nd7 7.0-0 Ngf6 8.Qe2
It is more popular to avoid exchanges with 8.Ng3.
8...Be7 9.Re1 Nxe4 10.Bxe4 Bxe4 11.Qxe4 c6 12.Ne5!?
The engines do not like this, preferring 12.Bf4.
12...Nf6 13.Qf3!?

Position after 13.Qf3!?

This seems to be a novelty. The idea is to meet 13...Qxd4 with 14.Nxc6, when the engines agree with what I thought was the main line, namely 14...Qd5 (14...bxc6?? loses the a8 rook after 15.Qxc6+) 15.Qxd5 Nxd5 16.Nxe7 Kxe7, when White has bishop-v-knight and a queenside pawn-majority, but Black has no weaknesses.
13...Qd5 14.c3
The engines reckon 14.Qxd5 cxd5 is fine for White, but I suspect PC would have fancied his chances of turning a minority attack into a full point.
14...Qxf3 15.Nxf3 0-0 16.Bf4 Rac8 17.Rad1 Rfd8 18.h3 Nd5 19.Be5 Bf6 20.Bxf6 Nxf6 21.Ne5 Rd6 22.Nc4 Rd5 23.a4 Rcd8 24.b4 b6?!
This may look aggressive because of the line-up of Black's rooks on the d file, but in reality it is weakening.
25.Ne5
Even stronger is 25.a5, which I looked at but was not sure about after 25...c5? 26.axb6, although with the help of the engines it is fairly easy to see that Black is in big trouble, eg 26...cxd4? 27.bxa7 wins for White, not least thanks to the threat of Nb6. The engines reckon Black's best after 25.a5 is the horrible 25...b5, when White is clearly better after 26.Ne5.
Maybe if I had not had such a disappointing start to the tournament, or had been playing someone nearer my rating, I would have looked harder at these lines instead of concentrating on avoiding defeat.
25...R5d6 26.Nc4 Rd5 27.Ne5 R5d6
While I was thinking about my next move, which would almost certainly have been 28.Nc4, PC offered a draw, which I accepted.

Missed Draw?

MY analysis engines disagree, but I seem to have missed a draw in round two of the Jersey Open today.

Black to make his 43rd move in Brendan-Budok Durand-Le Ludec (2168) - Spanton (1914)

*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
43...d5?
This made it easy.
Critical was 43...Kd7, which Stockfish10 and Komdo9 reckon also loses after 44.Kf4 Kc6 45.Ke4 b5! 46.Kd4 (the immediate 46.cxb5+ transposes) Kb6 47.cxb5 Kxb5 48.Kd5 Kxb4 49.Ke6! (49.Kxd6 Kc4 is a relatively simple draw) d5 50.Kf7 (50.Kxd5 Kc3 is another simple draw) d4 51.Kxg7. Both engines have had White as winning all the way through this sequence, but the Nalimov six-piece endgame tablebase now shows the position is drawn after any Black move except 51...Ka3 or 51...Kc5.
After the move actually played, 43...d5?, the game continued:
44.cxd5 Kd6 45.f6 gxf6 46.Kf5 Kxd5 47.Kxf6 b5 48.Kg6 Kc4 49.Kxh6 Kxb4 50.Kg5 Ka3 51.h6 b4 52.h7 b3 53.h8=Q 
White wins this ending by the standard technique of checking Black's king until the king is forced to block its own pawn, at which point White's king edges closer, and so on (1-0, 58 moves)

Opening Trap

THE annual Jersey congress in the Channel Islands began today, with me seeded 19th out of 24 entrants in the Open.
Spanton (1914) - Jack Rudd (IM2253)
Botvinnik English
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 c5 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 0-0 6.e4 Nc6 7.Nge2 d6 8.0-0 Rb8 9.h3
Preparing Be3.
9...a6 10.Be3
More popular are 10.a4 and 10.f4, but the text has a respectable history.
10...b5

How should White proceed?

*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
11.Qd2?
This natural-looking move is White's commonest choice in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database, but it loses a pawn by force.
11...bxc4
Many players, including one rated 2505, have seemingly missed the strength of this.
12.dxc4 Ne5 13.b3 Bxh3!
Despite having lost a pawn, I manged to make a game of it, but lost in 49 moves.
Going back to the diagram, the analysis engine Stockfish10 reckons 11.f4 is equal, while Komodo9 has Black slightly better after 11.f4 or 11.b3.

Emergency Board 10 - Update

MY opponent from Thursday emailed me last night to reveal his sealed move as being one of the two possible moves that lead to a forced mate.
I have therefore resigned the game (after checking, with his permission naturally, that he had correctly sealed the move).
My updated Battersea statistics make grim reading
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
LL...……W...…...171...………..153...…………..L
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +5=11-10 for a grading performance of 164.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.

Emergency Board 10

TURNED out for Battersea last night … and ended up in A&E.
I had been experiencing intermittent pain since Monday/Tuesday night, but it intensified towards the end, and especially after, my game last night for Battersea 2 away to Cavendish 3 in division three of the London League.
I dialled NHS 111 as soon as I got home, and was told to get to an emergency treatment centre within the hour.
That meant the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, and it was gone 3am by the time I got home today.
The doctors are not entirely sure what is wrong, but I have been given a course of antibiotics along with two sets of painkillers.
Unfortunately the hospital pharmacy, which I have been told I must use for my prescription, does not open till 9am, and the hospital early this morning could only give me an antibiotic tablet, which is why I am up typing this instead of sleeping.
To add insult to injury, as it were, my game has been adjourned in what is a lost position … assuming my opponent has found one of two forced mates. But I cannot resign the game as it is possible he has sealed the one plausible continuation that only draws.

Siesta Miniature

ONE of the most famous Siesta games, Réti - Capablanca, Berlin 1928, is also given by Tartakower and du Mont in 500 Master Games Of Chess.
Tartakower's comments are in italics.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.c3 f5
The 'Siesta Gambit' at work.
6.d4
Trying an upheaval of the centre.
Caruana used this move last year to beat Baskaran Adhiban (2655) in a rapidplay game.
6...fxe4
After 6...exd4 7.Bxc6+ bxc6 8.Nxd4 White would have the best of it.
This note is rather puzzling as Black seems fine with 8...fxe4. However the analysis engines Stcokfish10 and Komodo9 give 7.Nxd4 as being very strong for White.
7.Ng5
The crucial moment. An automatic draw would be brought about (as shown in the first instance by Maróczy) by 7.Nxe5 dxe5 8.Qh5+ Ke7 9.Bg5+ Nf6 10.Bxc6 bxc6 11.dxe5 Qd5 (ingeniously maintaining his gain, for if now 12.exf6+ gxf6, White's bishop is pinned) 12.Bh4 Ke6 13.Bxf6 gxf6 14.Qe8+ Kf5 15.Qh5+ Ke6 16.Qe8+ with perpetual check. This draw by sacrifice is reminiscent of the 'Möller Attack' in the 'Giuoco Piano'.
This forced draw featured as recently as last year in a game between players rated 2072 (White) and 1659.
7...exd4
An interesting idea, due to the Russian master Zonosko-Borovsky, is 7...d5 8.dxe5 Bc5.
8.Nxe4
Simplification by 8.Bxc6+ bxc6 9.Qxd4 is essential here.
The engines reckon Black would have a winning advantage with the simple 9...d5. They much prefer Réti's choice.
8...Nf6 9.Bg5
Caruana preferred 9.Nxf6+.
9...Be7

Réti's next move is a blunder

*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
10.Qxd4??
Heedless. But even after 10.Bxc6+ bxc6 11.Qxd4 0-0, Black has an advantage in territory, thanks to his open f file. The best, therefore, would be 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.Qh5+ g6 (or else 11...Kf8) 12.Qd5, and the chances are approximately even.
10...b5 11.Nxf6 gxf6
Now there are three white pieces 'en prise'.
12.Qd5 bxa4
Black, with two opposing bishops liable to capture, makes a wise selection, for if 12...fxg5, 13.Bb3 saves the piece.
This is incorrect as Black wins with 13...Qd7, saving the c6 knight as well as avoiding mate. However, the engines, and an anonymous annotator in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database, give 13.Bd1!, as now 13...Qd7 is met by 14.Bg4! Qxg4 15.Qxc6+ Kd8 16.Qxa8 Qe6+ with an unclear position.
13.Bh6
Trying to force a way into the enemy camp, as after 13.Qxc6+ Bd7 Black wins.
13...Qd7
The 'coup juste', which defends the threatened knight and vacates a square for the king, parrying the threat of a perpetual check. A terrible blunder would be 13...Bd7 14.Qh5#.
14.0-0
14.Bg7 is not much of an improvement as Black gets the queens off, 14...Qe6+ 15.Qxe6 Bxe6, and then traps White's bishop by 16.Bxh8 Kf7. After 17.Bxf6 Bxf6, Black has two bishops and a lead in development for rook and pawn. The engines reckon Black is clearly winning.
14...Bb7 15.Bg7 0-0-0
After this reply, events crowd fast on one another.
16.Bxh8 Ne5
Putting down his trumps.
17.Qd1
Or, for instance, 17.Qd4 Nf3+ 18.gxf3 Rg8+ 19.Kh1 Bxf3#.
17...Bf3
A break-up sacrifice.
18.gxf3
Or 18.Qd4 Rg8 19.g3 Qh3 etc.
Now White hopes to survive after the continuation 18...Rg8+ 19.Kh1 Qh3 20.Rg1 Rxg1+ 21.Qxg1 Qxf3+ 22.Qg2 etc.
18...Qh3 0-1
Black's last four moves were hammer blows.

Rail Chaos

WAS supposed to be playing in the Battersea Club Championship last night, but an "incident" meant I did not make our Battersea Labour Club venue in time.
I reached Waterloo, intending to catch a train to Clapham Junction, only to find there were numerous cancelations and delays.
That should not have been a problem as I had left plenty of time, but the train I was directed to catch got away late and so did not stop at Clapham Junction but went straight through to Surbiton.
By the time I caught a return train and reached the club, my opponent had been repaired and there was no one for me to play.
One consolation - the serial number of the South Western Railway carriage I rode in from Surbiton made for an interesting 'Tube Puzzle': 77713.
As usual, each number should be used once, and once only, and must be added, subtracted, multiplied or divided to make a balanced equation.
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
My solution: 7 + 7  =  7 x ( 3 - 1)

Birth Of A Variaton?

IN 500 Master Games Of Chess by Tartakower and du Mont, the Siesta Variation of the Deferred Steinitz Defence to the Ruy Lopez is credited to Capablanca.
The "birth of a variation," according to the authors, occurred in the following game:
Endre Steiner* - Capablanca
Budapest 1928 (known as the Siesta Tournament)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.c3 f5

So far so simple, but there is a problem - Capablanca had faced the move 5...f5 in his match against Marshall 19 years earlier.
It was game 14, and ended in a draw (Capablanca was leading by seven wins to one in the match, which was promoted as being for the US championship and was to be the first to eight wins).
But that is not all - back in 1892, at the German chess federation's seventh congress master tournament, held in Dresden, von Scheve played the "Siesta Variaton" to draw against Walbrodt.
Of course it is easy to be wise with the benefit of a database, but it is surprising neither a strong player such as Tartakower, nor a leading writer and chess editor such as du Mont, was apparently aware of 5...f5 being played in the Capablanca - Marshall match.
Anyway, putting chess history aside, how should White meet the Siesta (the move 5...f5 is still relevant today, being second in popularity to the more conventional 5...Bd7)?
The game Walbrodt - von Scheve went 6.d3 (reminiscent of a popular line against the Schliemann) Nf6 7.Qe2 Be7 8.Bb3 Na5 9.Bc2 0-0 10.Nbd2 f4!? (½–½, 22 moves).
White reacted more energetically in Capablanca - Marshall: 6.exf5 Bxf5 7.d4 e4 (the same moves were played in E.Steiner - Capablanca, with Tartakower commenting: "It is clear that Black's game will remain powerful if he can maintain this advanced post") 8.Qe2 Be7 9.Nfd2 Nf6 10.h3!? (Stockfish10 and Komodo9 strongly dislike this move, and subsequent games featured 10.0-0 or 10.f3) d5 (½–½, 31 moves).
The Siesta still occasionally appears at high levels, with the most recent game involving two 2400+ players in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database being from last year's French club championship. Yuri Solodovnichenko (2531) - Deimante Cronette (2461) continued 6.exf5 Bxf5 7.0-0 Bd3 8.Re1 Be7 9.Qb3 Rb8!? (9...b5 10.Qd5 Qd7 11.Qxd3 bxa4 is considered the main line, but looks pleasant for White) 10.Qd5 Bf5 11.d4!? (the uncredited annotator in Mega19 points out that 11.Bb3 was played in a 2015 ICCF correspondence game, and is preferred by the engines) Nf6! (this double-pawn sac seems to be Black's only decent move) 12.Bxc6+ bxc6 13.Qc6+ Bd7 14.Qxa6 e4 (for his two pawns, Black has the bishop-pair and kingside attacking chances) 15.Ng5 Rb6 16.Qe2 d5 17.Bf4? (the bishop becomes a target here - the engines reckon 17.c4 or 17.a4 keeps the game in balance) 17...0-0 18.a4 Ne8!? (a retreat, but it lets a more powerful piece - the queen's rook - join the kingside attack) 19.a5 Rg6 20.Nxe4 Rxf4 21.Ng3 Re6 22.Qd2 Rff6 23.Re5 Bd6 24.Rxe6 Rxe6 25.a6 Qe7 26.f3? (White spent almost eight minutes over this move, which leads to a quick loss, but he was in big trouble anyway) Bxg3 27.hxg3 Re2 28.Qd3 Re1+ 29.Kf2 Bb5! 0-1
*The attribution "A. Steiner" in the book seems to be a mistake.

Tube Puzzle - Moderate Difficulty

THE serial number of the Northern Line carriage I was riding in to visit a chess friend in Colliers Wood was 52529.
As usual, each number should be used once, and once only, and must be added, subtracted, multiplied or divided to make a balanced equation.
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
My solution: 5 + 5  =  9 + ( 2 ÷  2)