Oliver Finnegan (160) - Spanton (168)
Barry Attack
1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 e6 3.Bf4
White's opening looks like a cross between the Veresov (1.d4, 2.Nf3, 3.Bg5) and the New London (1.d4, 2.Bf4). I call it the Barry Attack, although that name is usually reserved for when White plays d4, Nc3 and Bf4 against a Black set-up involving an early kingside fianchetto.
3...Bd6 4.e3 Nc6!?
This may be a new move in this position, although it transposes to a known continuation.
5.Nf3 Nge7
5...Nf6 was played in Guillermo Buxade Roca (2201) - Iosif Grinberg (2279), EU Seniors 2007 (½–½, 43 moves).
6.Bg3 Nf5 7.Nb5!?
This somewhat surprised me, but, at least for a while, it is the analysis engine Komodo10's top choice.
7...Nxg3 8.hxg3 Be7
Black has gained the bishop-pair, but the manoeuvre has cost time, and means kingside castling will always be double-edged while White has a rook on the half-open h file.
9.a3 a6 10.Nc3 b6 11.Bd3 Bb7 12.Qe2
On 12.Rxh7?! Rxh7 13.Bxh7 g6 14.Qd3, I planned 14...Kd7!
12...h6
Not immediately necessary, but likely to become so.
13.g4
Stockfish10 and Komodo10 prefer 13.e4, giving White a slight edge.
13...b5 14.Rh5 g6
The threat of White's thrust g5 has been reduced, but the h pawn has been weakened.
15.Rh3 b4 16.Nb1
The engines slightly prefer 16.axb4 Nxb4 17.Na4, but OF was presumably reluctant to give up his light-square bishop.
16...Bf6 17.c3 bxc3 18.Nxc3 e5
It makes sense to open the position for Black's bishops, even though this means danger for both kings.
19.dxe5 Nxe5 20.Nxe5 Bxe5 21.Rc1
Committing the white king to finding shelter on f1, where it does seem as if it will be relatively safe. The black king still has flexibility, which is another way of saying it is hard to work out where it might be safe.
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| Black to make his 21st move |
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21...0-0! 22.Kf1
22.Rxh6 d4 is dangerous for White. The engines' main line runs 23.Ne4 dxe3 24.fxe3 Rb8, with lots of play for the pawn.
22...Re8 23.Qc2 d4?!
Defending the h pawn by 23...Bg7 or 23...Kg7 was more prudent.
24.Nd1?!
White probably should have preferred one of two sharper tries, both of which lead to approximately equal positions:
A) 24.exd4 Bxd4 25.Bxg6 Qf6 26.Bd3 Rad8, when Black has very active play for the pawn. This line is not forced, eg Black could sac a second pawn with 25...fxg6 26.Qb3+ (26.Qxg6? Bg7) Kg7 27.Qxb7 Rb8 28.Qxa6, when the engines again reckon Black has full compensation for his material deficit.
b) 24.Bc4!? (this is the engines' suggestion - it did not occur to me) dxc3 25.Qxg6+ Bg7 26.Bxf7+ Kf8 27.Bxe8 Qxe8 28.Qxe8+ Rxe8 29.bxc3, with a better-for-White position similar to one we get in the game. But capturing the knight straightaway may not be Black's best - instead the engines give 24...Qg5!? 25.f4 Bxf4 26.exf4 Qxf4+ 27.Kg1 dxc3, when it is Black rather than White who is temporarily two pawns up. Again the engines reckon the position is roughly even.
24...Qd5?!
Other queen moves were possible, and it seems that best was 24...Qd7, although 24...Qg5!?, 24...Qd6 and 24...Qf6 all at one point become the top choice of Stockfish10 and/or Komodo10.
25.f3?
This safeguards g2, but a better way of doing this was to gain a tempo with 25.f4, when 25...Bd6 26.Bxg6!? fxg6 27.Qxg6+ Kf8 28.Qf6+ Qf7 29.Qh8+ Ke7 30.Qxd4 is better for Black, according to the engines, but they differ as to how much.
25...Rad8?
Black is much better after the simple 25...dxe3.
26.Bc4 Qc6 27.Rxh6?
The en prise h pawn is at last captured, but it was still poisoned.
I expected 27.Bxf7+?! Kxf7 28.Qxc6 Bxc6 29.Rxc6 dxe3, when Black is much better because White's pieces are uncoordinated, eg 30.Nxe3 Bf4 31.Nc4 Rd1+ 32.Kf2 Rde1, winning.
However, the engines find a major improvement in 27.g5! h5 28.Bxf7+ Kxf7 29.Qxc6 Bxc6 30.Rxc6 dxe3 31.Rxe3, with maybe just a small edge for Black, as now …Bf4? is met by Rf6+.
27...Kg7 28.Rh3 dxe3 29.Nxe3 Bf4?
Missing White's reply. Winning was 29...Bd4, when Black has a very strong attack for the pawn.
30.Nf5+! gxf5 31.Qxf5
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| Black to make his 31st move |
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31...Rd1+!
31...Qxc4+!? 32.Rxc4 Rd1+ 33.Kf2 Rd2+ is a draw by repetition.
32.Rxd1 Qxc4+ 33.Kg1 Be3+?
I played this almost automatically, but stronger are the engines' 33...Be5 and 33...Bc8.
34.Kh1 Qf4 35.Rh7+?
The game is equal, according to the engines, after 35.Qh7+ Kf8 36.Rh5 Ke7 37.Rf5 Qh6+ 38.Qxh6 Bxh6.
35...Kg8 36.Qh5 Bd4 37.g5?!
This counters the threat of ...Bxf3!, but the engines reckon a better way of doing that was 37...Qxf7+ (37...Rxf7+ transposes) 38.Qf7 Rxf7+ 39.Kxf7 Rxd4, when Black is better, but there is a lot of play left.
37...Qf5 38.Rh6?!
Again it was probably better to give back the exchange.
38...Bg7
Good enough for a large advantage, but the calm 38...Bxb2! was even better.
39.g6 Qxh5+ 40.Rxh5 fxg6
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| After the fireworks, the game has reached an ending which the engines reckon Black is winning (Stockfish10) or at least has the upper hand (Komodo10) |
Not 43.Re1?? Rh7+ 44.Kg1 Bd4+.
43...Bd6 44.Rg5 Kf7 45.b4 Re3 46.Ra5 Ke6 47.Kf2 Re5?!
When the opponent has two rooks and you have one, it is usually not a good idea to exchange rooks as there is a certain redundancy in having two pieces of the same type (note that the normal bishop-pair is not redundant as the bishops cover different squares, but two dark-square bishops certainly would be).
I forced an exchange here for two reasons: a) two bishops v rook is a larger material advantage, ratio-wise, than two bishops & rook v two rooks, b) we were both short of time, and getting a pair of rooks off reduces the chance of mishaps.
48.Rxe5+ Kxe5 49.g3 Bc6 50.f4+ Kf5 51.Rc1 Bb5 52.Kf3 Kf6 53.g4 c6 54.Rd1 Ke7 55.f5!?
The engines like this move. Early on it is Stockfish10's top choice, before slipping to second place, and becomes Komodo10's top choice after being demonstrated on the board. I guess the point is that if White stands pat, Black will eventually organise his pieces and threaten to win a pawn or pawns, so it makes sense to exchange as many as possible.
55...gxf5!?
Presumably it is for the same reason that Stockfish10 prefers 55...g5, even though White gets a protected passed pawn. Komodo10 rates the two moves almost identically, but with a slight preference for the text.
56.gxf5 Be5 57.Re1 Kf6 58.Kg4?
This loses a pawn. Correct was 58.Ke4, when 58...Bb2 can be met by 59.Rb1!, the point being that 59...Ba3 60.Kd4! Kxf5 61.Kc3 etc is a draw. Black would therefore have to try other manoeuvres with the bishops, but I have not been able to find a win.
58...Bd3 59.Re3 Bxf5+ 60.Kf3 Ke6 61.a4?
Presumably hoping to exchange more pawns, but that is unrealistic, and the main effect of the move is to weaken White's queenside.
61...Bc2 62.a5 Kd5 63.Ke2 Ba4?
Black wins with 63...Bd6 as White cannot save the b pawn.
64.Kd3 Bb5+ 65.Kc2 Bd6 66.Kb3 Kd4 67.Rh3 Bc4+ 68.Ka3 Be5 69.Rf3 Bd5 70.Rh3 Kc4 71.Ka4 Be4 72.Rh4 Kd4 73.Ka3 Kd5 74.Rh5 Bd3 75.Kb3 Be2 76.Rh7 Bd1+ 77.Ka3 Bd4
I have been playing rather aimlessly, hoping to somehow win the b pawn, but maybe there is no way to do it. The engines are convinced Black is winning, but they too seem unable to come up with a winning plan as long as the white rook keeps harassing from the side.
78.Rd7+?
The only playable check, since 78.Rh5?? is a gross blunder, but I believe White is fine if he plays 78.Rh4!?, even though both engines flash red.
78...Kc4 79.Rd8 Bc2 80.Ra8 Bc3 81.Rb8
Objectively better is 81.Rxa6, but Black still wins both white pawns, and therefore the game, eg 81...Bxb4+ 82.Kb2 Ba4 83.Ra8 Kb5 84.a6 c5 85.a7 Kb6 etc.
81...Bd2 82.Kb2 Ba4 83.Ka3 Bb5 (0-1, 105 moves).
East London Knights won the match 3-1.
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
SL...…….W...…..168...………..140(est)………W
SL...…….W...…..168...………..183...………….W
SL...……..B...…..168...………..160...………….W
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +12=12-13 for a grading performance of 169.
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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