Kennan Kesterson (159) - Spanton (171)
Giuoco Piano
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 a6
Second in popularity only to 5...d6. The point of the text, if you have not seen it before, will soon become clear.
6.Bb3 Ba7
If you are not familiar with the Giuoco Piano, both players' sixth moves may seem a little peculiar. The idea in both cases, I believe, is that bishops are best-placed out of harm's way from enemy pawns and knights while still being able to exert long-range pressure. It is, however, perhaps surprising that Black especially can afford such slow play in a double-e pawn opening.
7.Nbd2 0-0 8.0-0 d6 9.Nc4 Be6 10.Bg5 h6 11.Bh4 Ne7?!
Most popular is 11...g5, but 12.Nxg5!? hxg5 13.Bxg5 Kg7 seemed unclear to me. Stockfish10 and Komodo9 reckon White has full compensation for the material deficit after 14.Qf3. The text has been chosen by players rated well over 2300, but is very suspect.
12.Ne3?!
Possibly a new move - it is Komodo9's second choice. All four games to reach this position in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database saw 12.Bxf6 gxf6 13.Nh4, with the engines agreeing White is much better.
12...Ng6 13.Nf5?
Now Black will be better. The engines prefer Bg3. either immediately or preceded by Bxe6.
13...Bxf5 14.exf5 Nxh4 15.Nxh4 Kh7 16.Bc2 Nd5!?
Possibly not the best, although it works out very well in the game. The engines find it difficult to come up with a recommendation they are happy to stick with, but eventually more-or-less settle on 16...Re8 or 16...Qd7.
17.Nf3 Qf6 18.Re1 g5?! 19.h3
As I had seen, 19.hxg6+ fxg6 is fine for Black, but the engines' 19.Nd2! is more problematic.
19...Rae8 20.Nd2 Kh8?!
Probably better was 20...Kg7 as 21.Ne4? can be safely met by 21...Qxf5, and if 22.d4, the engines calmly continue 22...exd4, the point being that the knight is pinned, eg 23.Nxd6?? Rxe1+ 24.Qxe1 Qxc2.
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| White to make his 21st move |
*****
*****
*****
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*****
21.g4??
Two question-marks might seem harsh, but after this positional howler, permanently giving up the f4 square to Black's knight, White is as good as lost. The engines like 21.Qf3, with roughly equal chances.
21...Nf4 22.Qf3?
Somewhat better is 22.Ne4, but after, say, 22...Qe7, Black is much better thanks to the dominant knight on f4.
22...d5 23.Bb3 c6 24.Bc2
Komodo9's choice, at least for a while, but it does not give a good impression. I thought White should try to break free with 24.c4, but the engines reckon 24...Rd8 keeps Black in control.
24...Qd6
The time was ripe for getting on with it on the kingside with 24...h5, but nevertheless the text leaves Black well on top.
25.Rf1?
Horribly passive, but neither Stockfish10's 25.Nf1 nor Komodo9's 25.Kh2?! help achieve any real counterplay.
25...f6 26.Rae1 Kg7 27.Rb1?
Completely aimless, but the engines' 27.Bd1 is not much help either - White is simply lost.
27...Rh8 28.Bd1 h5 29.Qg3 hxg4 30.Bxg4 Rxh3 0-1
A lot of people would have played on here but after 31.Bxh3 Ne2+ 32.Kg2 Nxg3 the engines assess Black's advantage as being worth more than a rook.
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
LL............B.........171................139..................W
LL...….….B...…..171...…….….214...……....….L
LL...……..B...…..171...………..173...……….….L
LL...…….W...…..171...………..166...…………..L
SL...……..B...…..171...………..167...………….W
LL...…….W...…..171...………..122...………….W
SL...……..B...…..171...………..159...………….W
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +9=12-13 for a grading performance of 166.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.
CLL - Central London League; LL - London League; SL - Summer League
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