Morphy v The Evans (part seven)

PAUL Morphy faced the Evans Gambit twice in Paris in 1858 in head-to-head games against Jules Arnous de Rivière (they also played a game in which Rivière had a consulting partner).
Rivière was strong enough to win matches against Thomas Barnes and Johann Löwenthal, and only lost to Mikhail Chigorin by the narrow margin of +4=1-5.
Rivière - Morphy
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5!?
After scoring six out of six with 5...Ba5, Morphy switches to a line that today is less popular even than 5...Be7, and much less popular than 5...Ba5.
Botterill* says of ...Bc5: "This old-fashioned defensive line, so far as I can see, has no particular advantage over 5...Ba5, whereas there is the significant disadvantage that after d4 Black is obliged to play …exd4, ceding control and allowing White to rid himself of a potentially weak pawn on c3."
Harding says that only 5...Ba5 "seriously threatens to seize the initiative." But he adds: "With both moves there are numerous offshoots for both White and Black, including some little-known byways which, though not essential for White to know, give him added chances of advantage."
Kaufman only covers 5...Ba5.
Bologan covers ...Bc5 extensively, writing: "With this line we are entering a time machine and going back to the romantic 19th century."
For what it is worth, White scores a significantly better percentage score against ...Bc5 than against ...Ba5 or ...Be7 in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database.
6.0-0
Botterill and Harding only mention the more common 6.d4, while Bologan points out that 6.0-0 d6 7.d4 returns to the 6.d4 mainline after 7...exd4, which is indeed what happens in this game.
6...d6 7.d4 exd4
7...Bb6 is a little-played alternative that is slightly preferred by the analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo10.
8.cxd4 Bb6

Botterill: "Thus we arrive at the Normal Position - so called because for much of the 19th century it was what you could expect to get when playing the Evans Gambit."

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9.d5
Botterill: "This was how [Adolf] Anderssen used to play it, but I think it is a positional mistake that really deserves a question mark." However, he does not actually give it one, and the move has remained reasonably popular, although eclipsed by 9.Nc3.
Harding only covers 9.Nc3, "the move always chosen by Morphy and Chigorin."
Bologan calls 9.d5 "very important because in [other] lines every now and then White can push d4-d5, creating the pawn-structure characteristic for this line."
9...Na5
Botterill: "Black set[s] to work on exploiting his queenside majority with ...c5 and ...b5. Admittedly the position is double-edged, and White has his practical chances (swindles), but with best play Black ought to prevail."
10.Bd3 Ne7 11.Bb2 0-0 12.Nbd2
Botterill only covers the much more popular 12.Nc3.
12...Ng6
Bologan says this is also the move to play if White tries 12.Nd4.
13.Nd4?!
Probably a mistake, as we will see. The engines give 13.Re1, with full compensation for the pawn, according to Stockfish 10, but Komodo10 likes Black.
13...Qf6 14.N2f3 Bg4?!
Bologan gives 14...c5!, which was played by Robert Byrne against an unrated at the 1989 World Open in Philadelphia. After 15.dxc6 Nxc6 16.Bb5 (16.Nxc6 Qxb2 is also good for Black) Nce5, Black had an aggressive position while still being a pawn up.
15.Qc2
White's pieces menace Black's kingside in general and his queen in particular.
15...Bxf3?!
The engines prefer an immediate …Ne5.
16.Nxf3 Ne5?
16...Qd8, as suggested by the engines, is the type of retreat Morphy was not fond of making, but it, or 16...Qe7, may have been best.
17.Kh1
White gets a strong attack.
17...Qe7 18.Nxe5 dxe5 19.f4 f6 20.Qc3?
Rivière seems to have missed the full effect of Black's reply.
White wins, according to the engines, by targeting the a5 knight with 20.Qd2 or 20.Qa4.
20...Bd4 21.Qxa5 Bxb2 22.Rab1 b6 23.Qd2 Bd4 24.f5 a6
White's much-inferior bishop means Black has no more worries about a kingside attack.
25.Bc4 Qd6 26.a4 Rfb8 27.Rb3 Kf8!?
Played so a later ...d6 will not come with a discovered check, but 28...Kh8 is a safer way of having the same effect.
28.Qe2 b5 29.axb5 a5?
29...axb5 30.Bxb5 Ra3 is equal. The text is a misguided attempt to create winning chances.
30.Rg3 a4 31.Qh5 h6
31...Kg8 loses to 32.Qh6.
32.Qg6 Qe7 33.d6 cxd6 34.Qh6 Qf7
The best try, but inadequate.
35.Qh8+
Winning, but even stronger was 35.Qh7 Qxc4 36.Qxg7+ Ke8 37.Qh8+ Ke7 38.Rg7+ etc.
35...Ke7 36.Rxg7 Rxh8 37.Rxf7+ Ke8 38.Rxf6
Black is two pawns down, and his d pawn is hanging, but the passed a pawn gives him hope of complicating the issue.
38...a3 39.Ba2 Rc8 40.b6 Kd7?
The b pawn is too dangerous to be left on the board.
41.b7 Rc2 42.Be6+
Good enough, but perhaps easiest was 42.Rf7+ Kc6 43.Bd5+ Kb6 44.Rh7 Rb8 45.f6 a2 46.Bxa2 Rxa2 47.f7 etc.
42...Kc7 43.Rb1?
But now the win has gone. Still good for White was 43.Rf7+ Kb8 44.f6.
43...Kb8 44.Bb3??
Any reasonable move draws, eg 44.h3 Rd8 45.Rf7 a2 46.Bxa2 Rxa2 47.f6 Rf2, with dead-eye equality, according to both engines.
44...Rb2 45.Rxb2
There is nothing better.
45...axb2 46.Ba2 Kxb7 47.Rxd6 Ra8 0-1
*I am comparing play with two specialist books: Open Gambits: Italian And Scotch Gambit play by George Botterill (Batsford 1986) and Evans Gambit And A System Vs. Two Knights' Defense by Tim Harding (Chess Digest, 1991); and with two respected repertoire books: The Chess Advantage In Black And White by Larry Kaufman (McKay Chess Library, 2004) and Bologan's Black Weapons In The Open Games: How To Play For A Win If White Avoids The Ruy Lopez by Victor Bologan (New In Chess, 2014).

White To Play And Win

FROM this afternoon's fifth and final round of the Crewe congress:

White to make his 48th move in Spanton (1900/168) - Chris Vassiliou (1894/171)

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White wins with 48.Rh1+ Rh5 49.Qb5!
Also winning, according to Stockfish10 and Komodo10, is 48.Bf7, eg 48...Qd8 49.Qh2+ Kg7 50.Be6 Bf6 51.Rh1 Kf8 52.Qh6+ Ke7 53.Rf1 Qh8 54.Qxh8 Bxh8 55.Rf7+ Ke8 56.Rd7, although this is neither so clear nor so pretty as the engines' first line.
The game saw 48.Rf7+? Rg7 49.Rxg7+?! (White is slightly better, according to the engines, after 49.Qh2+ Kg6 50.Rf1) Kxg7 50.Qxg4+ Qg6 ½–½
My final score of +1=2-2 saw me lose 5.6 Fide elo and was an ECF grading performance of 167.8.

Double Fianchetto

HERE is this morning's bottom-board game from round four of the open section of Crewe congress
Barry Hymer (1921/178) - Spanton (1900/168)
Double- Fianchetto Opening
1.g3 e5 2.Bg2 d5 3.d3 Nf6 4.b3 Bb4+!?
I am not sure this really inconveniences White, but it certainly does not hurt Black.
5.c3 Be7 6.Nd2 Nc6 7.Bb2 0-0 8.c4
White's response of 5.c3 to 4...Bb4+!? more-or-less meant he would be obliged to follow up with c4.
8...d4
Black is well-placed to support this advanced pawn.
9.Ngf3 Re8 10.0-0 Bg4 11.h3 Bh5 12.g4!?
This wins the bishop-pair and slightly damages Black's kingside pawn-structure, but at the cost of badly damaging the white kingside pawn-structure.
12...Bg6 13.Nh4 Qd7 14.Nxg6 hxg6
14...fxg6, hoping to use the half-open f file, was a serious alternative, and might have been preferable if a black rook still stood on f8.
15.a3 a5 16.Qc2 Bc5!?
Making it harder for White to move his e pawn.
17.Bc1 Nd8
The f4 square beckons.
18.Rb1 c6
If 18...Qe7, then 19.Qb2, and White still pushes his b pawn.
19.b4 axb4 20.axb4 Bb6 21.c5!?
This surprised me. White gets the c4 square, but Black gets d5, which seems more important.
21...Bc7 22.Nc4 Ne6 23.e3 dxe3?!
Stockfish10 and Komodo10 strongly dislike this, preferring 23...Nd5 24.Bd2 Qe7, when they reckon Black has the upper hand.
24.fxe3 Nd5 25.Bd2 Red8 26.Qb2?!
White prepares to capture the e5 pawn while letting his d pawn fall. This opens the position for his bishops, but Black's pieces become very active. More solid was 26.Rbd1.
26...Nf6 27.Nxe5 Bxe5 28.Qxe5 Qxd3
The engines' 28...Ra2 may be even stronger.
29.Rb2 

Black to make his 29th move

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29...Nd7!
This retreat is powerful because White's queen does not have many squares it can safely go to.
30.Qg3 Nd4?!
Initiating complications, but the engines prefer 30...f6 31.Rc1 Ne5, when the knights are more active than the bishops.
31.Qf2 Ne2+ 32.Kh2 Ne5 33.Re1?
BH must have missed the strength of my reply. White is better after the semi-forcing line 33.Be1 Nc1 34.Rc2 Qa3 35.Rc3 Qa1 36.Bd2! Qb2 37.Bxc1 Qxc3 38.Bb2 Qb3 39.Bxe5 Ra2 40.Qg3 Rdd2 41.Rg1 Qxb4. That is a long line, but most of it is forced, and White emerges with two bishops for rook and pawn.
33...Nc4
The b2 rook has no good square to go to.
34.Rxe2 Nxb2 (0-1, 47 moves)

Crewe Round 3 Debacle

Spanton (1900/168) - Damian McCarthy (1837/173)
Maroczy Bind
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4!?
A lot of moves are more popular than the text, but it has been played by Carlsen, Leko and Yu.
3...Nc6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Bb4 7.Nxc6
The main move, but White's score with it in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database is just 42%.

Black to make his seventh move

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7....dxc6
Black has a pleasant choice between this simple equalising response, and going for more with 7...bxc6. Grandmasters have also played 7...Bxc3+, surrendering the bishop-pair but giving White multiple queenside weaknesses.
8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Bd3 e5 10.Bg5 Kc7 11.0-0 Be6 12.Rac1 Rad8 13.Be2 Kb8
Neutralising the threat of Nd5+.
14.f3?
Further weakening the central dark squares.
14...Bc5+ 15.Kh1 h6 16.Bh4 Rd2 17.Rfe1
Stockfish10 and Komodo10 reckon it was better to give up the b2 pawn with 17.Rfd1, which shows how bad White's position has become in very short time.
17...Bb4
Even stronger was 17...Bd4.
18.Nd1?
Horribly passive. Better was 18.Bg3, when the engines give 18...Nd7 19.Na4 Kc7 20.a3 Be7 21.Rcd1 Rxd1 22.Rxd1 - Black is better, but not immediately winning material.
18...Nh5 19.Bf2 Nf4 20.Bf1 Rd7 21.Nc3 Bxc3 22.Rxc3 Rd2 23.Ra3??
The final debacle. I resigned before DM could play 23...Rxf2.

Black To Play And Draw

BLACK to make his 43rd move in Mark Whitehead (1847/167) - Spanton (1900/168), Crewe Round 2.

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43...Qd2
The vulnerability of White's king means Black can offer his knight and draw. But the vulnerability of Black's king means saving the knight with 43...Ng3 (other moves lose) is also only a draw, eg 44.Qg6+ Kf8 45.Rc8+ Ke7 46.Qxg5+ Rf6 47.Nc3 Qd2 48.Rc7+ Kd8 (48...Kd6 49.Nb5+ wins for White) 49.Qxf6+ Kxc7 50.Qxe5+ etc.
44.Qxe4
44.Qxd2 Nxd2 45.Rc1 is also a draw, eg 45...Ne4 46.Nc3 Rc7 47.Ne2, when, according to Stockfish10 and Komodo10, Black can draw whether he keeps the rooks on or exchanges them.
44...Qe1+ 45.Kh2 Qg3+ 46.Kg1 ½–½

Mophy v The Evans (part six)

THE following game, perhaps Paul Morphy's most famous Evans' Gambit as Black, was played against the French-born chess problemist and author Napoleon Marache.
Marache - Morphy
New York 1857
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.d4
The normal move today - played three times against Morphy by James Thompson.
6...exd4 7.e5?!
Thompson played 7.0-0 in the first game against Morphy, and then switched to 7.Qb3. Both moves are almost certainly better than the text, which advances a pawn across the halfway line without hitting an opposition piece.
7...d5
The standard response in open games to White's e5.
8.exd6 Qxd6!?
My main analysis engines, Stockfish10 and Komodo10, prefer 8...cxd6, but Morphy characteristically takes the chance to develop a piece.
9.0-0 Nge7 10.Ng5?!
This attack gets White nowhere, so almost certainly better was recapturing a pawn with 10.Nxd4, or developing with tempo with 10.Ba3 (the move that engines reckon is the drawback to 8...Qxd6!?).
10...0-0
Now 11.Qh5 is simply met by 11...Qg6, so White, not wanting an exchange of queens, attacks h7 in another way.
11.Bd3

Position after 11.Bd3

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11...Bf5!? 12.Bxf5 Nxf5 13.Ba3 Qg6 14.Bxf8 Qxg5 15.Ba3
Morphy could have avoided losing the exchange by playing 11...h6, but he realises White's loss of time will give Black a strong attack.
15...dxc3 16.Bc1 Qg6 17.Bf4 Rd8 18.Qc2 Ncd4 19.Qe4 Ng3! 20.Qxg6
Other moves cost White his queen.
20...Nde2#

Morphing The French II

AM playing in the five-round open section of Crewe congress, which began yesterday evening at an Ibis Styles.
My opponent, a junior (born 2004), allowed me to try to put into practice what I learned from writing my Beau Chess series on how Paul Morphy tackled the French Defence.
Despite that series finishing back on July 23, this is just my second chance to 'Morph' the French..
Spanton (1900/168) - Ieysaa Bin-Suhayl (2208/200)
French Exchange
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Bd6 5.Bd3 Ne7
A rule-of-thumb in the French Exchange as Black is that a good way to unbalance the position is to watch what White does with his king's knight. If it goes to f3, play the black king's knight to e7; if it goes to e2, play the black king's knight to f6. That is why 5...Ne7 is the most popular move here in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database.
6.0-0 Nbc6 7.Re1 Bg4 8.c3 f6!?
Second-most popular, albeit a huge way behind 8...Qd7. The idea is presumably to take away g5 from White's pieces, while possibly preparing a kingside pawn-storm.
9.Nbd2 Qd7 10.b4!?
This has been played by Leko, and is the most popular move in the position. The idea is to discourage queenside castling, but a less-committal way to do this was 10.a4, which avoids weakening the c4 square.
10...0-0 11.h3 Bf5 12.Nf1 a6!?
I failed to see the real point of this move - it is by no means just to prevent White driving the queen's knight away with b5.
13.Ng3 Bxd3 14.Qxd3 b5!?
Revealing the real point of ...a6 - Black clamps down on the c4 square, which will be occupied by a knight.

Position after 14...b5!?

15.Bd2 Na7?!
Too hasty. Better was a move such as 15...Bxg3, giving Black a choice of knight outposts at e4 and c4, or attacking on the queenside with 15...a5.
16.Nh5
Heading for e6, but the engines Stockfish10 and Komodo10 give 16.Ne5!, the point being that 16...fxe5 17.dxe5 Bxe5 18.Rxe5 gives White promising kingside play. So the engines prefer 16...Qe8 with a small edge to White.
16...Nac8 17.Nf4 Nb6 18.Ne6 Rfe8 19.Nc5 Bxc5 20.dxc5 Nc4 21.Nd4 Nc6 22.Bf4 Nxd4 23.cxd4 c6 24.Kf1 g5!?
Aggressive play. Black has the better minor piece, but if he allows the rooks to come off without penetrating White's position, it is doubtful if that is enough to win.
25.Bd2 Re4 26.f3 Qf5?
This shocked me, but it is a mistake. Black should have let the rooks come off.
27.Kf2?
Strong is 27.Re2 as 27...Rae8? loses to 28.Bc1! So Black has to exchange minor pieces or allow an exchange of queens, and in either case White is better.
27...Rae8 28.Qc3?
28.Be3 is equal, according to the engines, which reckon Black has to play 28...Nxe3 as, say, 28...h5?! is met by 29.Kg1 R4e5 30.Qxf5 Rxf5 31.Bf2 Kf7 32.Rxe8 Kxe8 33.Re1+, with an edge.
28...Rxe1 29.Rxe1 Rxe1 30.Bxe1 Qb1
The rooks have come off, but Black has penetrated with his queen, giving White a very difficult defence.
31.Qb3 Qa1 32.Bc3 Qc1 33.Be1 Nb2
Strong was 33...Kg7, as explained in the next note, but probing for a mistake with the text does no harm.
34.Ke2 Kf7?!
34...Qc4+ 35.Qxc4 bxc4 (not 35...dxc4? 36.d5!) looks promising, but White may be able to hold.
Best, according to the engines, was 34...Nc4, and if White repeats position with 35.Kf2, then 35...Kg7 seems to be zugzwang, or at least leaves White without a good move, eg 36.g3 Qa1 37.Bc3 Qh1, or 36.Qc3 Qd1 and eventually White's defence collapses.
35.Qc3?
I was going to play 35.Bd2, which seems to hold. I saw what was wrong with the text, but after some more thought I played it anyway.
35...Qd1+ 36.Ke3
Or 36.Kf1 Nc4 (36...Nd3 is also good), and the defence again eventually collapses, eg 37.Kf2 f5 38.Kf1 f4 39.Kf2 Kf6 40.Kf1 Qb1 41.a3 (41.Qb3?? Nd2+) Ne3+ 42.Kg1 Qa2 43.Bd2 Qc4+ 44.Qxc4 dxc4, and Black wins the minor-piece ending.
Also losing is 36.Kf2? Nd3+ 37.Kf1 Nxe1 etc.
36...Nd3 37.Bf2?!
This loses quickly, but the engines' 37.Bg3 is also hopeless after 37...Nc1.
37...Nf4 38.Qd2 Qf1 0-1

Morphy v The Evans (part five)

Hardman Montgomery - Paul Morphy
New York 1857
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.0-0
As played by James McConnell (see: https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2019/09/morphy-v-evans.html).
6...Nf6 7.d4 0-0 8.d5?!

Position after 8...d5?!

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Closing the centre when a pawn down, and blocking White's light-square bishop into the bargain, seems a strange decision. McConnell played 8.dxe5.
8...Ne7 9.Qc2
Also good for Black is 9.Nxe5 d6 10.Nf3 Nxe4.
9...d6 10.h3 Ng6 11.Bd3 Nh5 12.Kh2 Nhf4 13.Rg1 Bb6 14.Be3 Nh4 15.Nbd2 Qf6 16.Nxh4 Qxh4 17.Nf3 Qh6!
Morphy has seen that this self-pin is not dangerous for Black.
18.Bf1
Shoring up h3.
18...f5 19.g3?
This loses a pawn, and lets Black open up the white king's position, but White was in big trouble in any case.
19...fxe4 20.Bxf4 exf4 21.Nd4 e3 22.f3 Bxd4 23.cxd4 Bf5 24.Qg2
White gets mated after 24.Qxc7? Rac8 25.Qxb7 Rc2+ 26.Rg2 fxg3+ 27.Kg1 Rxg2+ 28.Bxg2 e2 29.Qb4 Bxh3 30.Qe1 Bxg2 etc. This is a long  line, but it was not necessary to see it all - Black is comfortably winning throughout.
24...fxg3+ 25.Qxg3 Rf6 26.f4 Re8 27.Re1 Re4 28.Rxe3 Qxf4 29.Bxd3 Rxd4 30.Bxf5 Rxf5
Morphy is two pawns up and about to win the d5 pawn, so Montgomery embarks on an attack, presumably hoping for a tactical blunder, but Morphy is able to exchange off into a winning rook-and-pawn ending.
31.Re7 Rd2+ 32.Kh1 Qxg3 33.Rxg3 Rf1+ 34.Rg1 Rxg1+ 35.Kxg1 Rxd5 36.Rxc7 Rd1+ 37.Kg2 Rd2+ 38.Kf3 Rxa2 39.Rxb7 Ra3+ 40.Kg4 a5 41.Rd7 a4 42.Rxd6 Ra1 0-1

Morphy v The Evans (part four)

HERE is the third and final Evans' Gambit played by James Thompson against Paul Morphy.
Thompson - Morphy
New York 1857
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.d4 exd4 7.Qb3 Qf6 8.0-0 d6 9.cxd4
Thompson does not repeat his experiment from their last encounter of 9.e5!?
9...Bb6 10.e5 dxe5 11.dxe5?!
This is much disliked by my main analysis engines, who prefer 10.Nc3!? (Stockfish10) or 10.Bg5!? (Komodo10), neither of which is in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database.
11...Qg6 12.Ba3 Be6 13.Nbd2
A new move. Howard Staunton had unsuccessfully played 13.Nc3 three years earlier.
13...Nge7?!
Probably not best. The engines prefer 13...0-0-0.
14.Bxe6
The engines give 14.Bxe7 Nxe7 15.a4 a5 16.Bxe6 Qxe6 17.Qxe6 fxe6 18.Ng5, when White has some compensation for his pawn deficit, but Black must be better.
14...fxe6 15.Rae1?!
Again Bxe7 looks better, eg 15...Nxe7 16.a4 a5 17.Nc4.
15...0-0
The engines' 15...0-0-0!? may be stronger.
16.Ne4
And here they give 16.Nh4 Qf7 17.Ne4 with something of an initiative.
16...Rad8 17.Neg5?
Now Nh4 can be met by 17...Qg4 as the knight cannot be supported by Nf3 or Re4, which would have been possible if Black had played 16.Nh4. But that would have been better than the text, which loses material to a fairly elementary tactical sequence.

Position after 17.Neg5?

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17...Rxf3! 18.Nxf3 Rd3 19.Qb2 Rxf3 20.Kh1 Bd4 21.Qc1 Rc3 22.Qb2 Rg3 23.Qc1 Rxg2 24.Qf4 Nf5 25.Qf3 Rxh2+ 26.Kxh2 Bxe5+ 27.Rxe5
The only move to avoid a quick mate.
27...Nxe5 28.Qh3 Nh4 (0-1, 42 moves)

Civil War

TURNED out for Battersea 2 on board four last night against Battersea 1 in the Central London League.
Tommaso Penna (196) - Spanton (168)
Spanish Open
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 a6 6.Ba4
White has a critical alternative, avoiding the Open Variation, in 6.Bxc6. The mainline runs 6...dxc6 7.Qe2 Bf5 8.dxe5, when Black has to choose between the equally popular 8...Be7 and 8...Bc5.
6...b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6

The starting tabiya of the Spanish Open - there are almost 10,000 games with this position in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database

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9.Be3
Fourth-most popular, but it is a favourite of Bacrot and has also been played by Kasparov, Tal, Caruana, Short, Timman and Giri.
9...Be7
Most popular, but Carlsen, Kramnik and Anand have preferred 9...Bc5.
10.c3
The immediate 10.Nbd2 can be met by 10...Nc5, although it is not clear White should be worried about that. The engines Stockfish10 and Komodo10 continue 11.Bxc5!? Bxc5 12.c3 0-0, when Stockfish10 prefers White but Komodo10 reckons the position is equal.
10...0-0 11.Nbd2 Qd7 12.Bc2 f5 13.exf6 Nxf6 14.Qb1!?
This was apparently first played by Guyla Sax in 1982, and has since become the standard move, although White only scores 39% with it in Mega19.
14...Kh8!?
The standard reply. 14...h6 has also been played, but I did not like the way it weakens the light squares.
15.Nb3
15.Ng5 was met by 15...Bg8 in Sax (2550) - Ruben Rodriguez (2405), Interzonal (Moscow) 1982, but even stronger is 15...Ng4! This was first played by Ivan Sokolov in 1995, the point being that 16.Nxh7 runs into 16...Rf5!, eg 17.Qd1 Nxe3 18.fxe3 g6!, as played in Surya Ganguly (2582) - Peter Heine Nielsen (2628), Fide World Championship (Tripoli) 2004 (0-1, 29 moves).
The text is Komodo10's choice at first, before switching to 15.Re1, while Stockfish10 likes the latter move and 15.b4.
15...Ne4!?
Apparently a new move. Oleg Korneev (2605) played 15...Ng4! in a 1995 win over a 2330, while Ilya Khmeniker (2404) chose 15...Bg4 in a 2006 win over a 2426. The engines reckon Korneev's move is best.
16.Nbd4
The engines at first give 16.Nfd4 Nxd4 17.Bxd4 c5 with an equal position. Stockfish10 switches to 16.Rd1 or 16.a4, slightly preferring White in each case.
On 16.Bxe4 dxe4 17.Qxe4, I intended 17...Bd5, when 18.Rfd1 (TP's suggestion in the postmortem) is met by 18...Rad8 19.Nc5 Bxc5 20.Bxc5 Bxe4 21.Rxd7 Rxd7 22.Bxf8 Bxf3 23.gxf3 Kg8 24.Bc5 Rd2, with full compensation for the pawn, according to the engines.
16...Nxd4 17.Nxd4 Rf6?
Played without seeing White's reply. The engines give 17...Bg8, with Black more than equal if White captures twice on e4.

White to make his 18th move

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18.f3 Raf8 19.Re1
Not 19.fxe4?? Rxf1+ etc. But TP's postmortem suggestion of 19.Bd3 is better. Black can reply 19...Nd6 or 19...Nc5, but in each case White has a pleasant choice between winning a pawn with 20.Bxh7 or, possibly even stronger, playing 20.Bg5.
19...Bh3!
Saving the day as neither en-prise piece can be captured with a pawn, ie 20.gxh3?? loses to 20...Rg6+ (20...Qxh3 also wins), and 20.fxe4? is met by 20...Bxg2!, totally exposing the white king.
20.Bxe4
Also possible is 20.Re2, when Stockfish10 gives 20...Rg6 21.Qf1 Bg4 22.Kh1 c5 23.Nb3 Re6, with equality, although Komodo10 slightly prefers White.
20...dxe4 21.Qxe4 c5?
Better was 21...Rg6 22.g3, and now 22...c5 with full compensation for the pawn-minus, according to the engines.
22.Bg5 cxd4 23.Qxe7?
White is winning after 23.Bxf6 Bxf6 (even worse is 23...Rxf6?? because of back-rank mate problems after 24.Qxe7) 24.gxh3.
23...Qxe7 24.Rxe7 Rg6 25.Re5 dxc3 26.bxc3 Bxg2
Also equal is 26...h6 27.Kf2 Rxg5 28.Rxg5 hxg5 29.gxh3 as White's extra pawn is meaningless.
27.Kxg2 h6 28.h4 Rc8
Simpler may have been 28...hxg5 29.hxg5 Rc6 30.Rc1 Kh7.
29.Kf2
The engines like TP's postmortem suggestion 29.Kg3, continuing 29...hxg5 30.hxg5 Rgc6, when Komodo10 reckons 31.a4 Rxc3 32.axb5 axb5 33.Rxb5 is slightly better for White, but Stockfish10's verdict of almost-equal is surely right.
29...hxg5 30.hxg5 Kg8
Good enough for a draw, but perhaps more precise was 30...Rgc6 (but not 30...Rxc3?? 31.Re8+ Kh7 32.Rh1), when 31.a4 Rxc3 is very similar to the previous note.
31.Rae1 Rgc6 32.Re6 g6!?
This comes to be Stockfish10's choice, but Komodo10 is less keen.
33.Kg3
Komodo10 gives 33.R1e5 Kg7 34.Rxc6 Rxc6 35.Re7+ Kg8 36.Ra7 Rxc3 37.Rxa6 Kg7 38.Kg3, with a slight edge for White. But the likely continuation 38...b4 39.Kg4 b3 40.axb3 Rxb3 has similar problems to those arising in notes to moves 29 and 30, namely White being left with two pawns, including one backward, against a blocking Black pawn.
33...a5 34.Kf4 Rf8+ 35.Kg4
35.Ke5?? Rxe6+ 36.Kxe6 Re8+.
35...Rfc8 36.Kf4 Rf8+ 37.Kg4 Rfc8 38.R1e5 Rxe6 39.Rxe6 Kf7 40.Rf6+ Kg7 41.Rb6 Rc4+ 42.f4 Rc5 43.Rb7+ Kg8 44.Rb8+ Kg7 45.Rb7+ Kg8 46.Rb8+ ½–½
Battersea 1 won the match 3-2.
My updated Battersea statistics for 2019-20
Event...Colour...Grade...Opponent's Grade...Result
CLL*.…...B....…..168...………169...………......W
CLL...…...B...…...168...………196...…………..D
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +1=1-0 for a grading performance of 208.
In season 2018-19 I 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.

Morphy v The Evans (part three)

James Thompson - Paul Morphy
New York 1857
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.d4 exd4 7.Qb3
Unless I am being particularly dense, Botterill* does not seem to cover this move, but it is recommended by Harding.
7...Qf6!?
Garry Kasparov's choice in a 2011 blitz win over Nigel Short, and played the following year by Anatoly Karpov in beating a 2450.
Harding says: "It has the advantage of allowing a subsequent ...Nge7, but the queen is more exposed on f6 than e7, and White has very good chances."
Kaufman only covers, by transposition, Harding's preferred 7...Qe7.
Bologan does not cover this exact position as he recommends 6...b5!? against 6.d4.
8.0-0

Position after 8.0-0

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8...d6!?
This is very much not liked by Stockfish10 and Komodo10, who prefer the most popular move in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database, 8...Bb6, although Harding gives that a question mark. His analysis continues 9.e5 Qg6 10.cxd4 Nxd4 11.Nxd4 Bxd4 12.Nc3, which was played in Henry Bird - Mikhail Chigorin, Hastings 1895, and was repeated in Oliver Kurmann (2450) - Karpov (2616), Trans Europa Schach Express 2012. The Russian former world champion played what seems to have been a novelty, 12...b6!?, and got a good position after 13.Bd5 c6 14.Bf3 Qe6. However, a major improvement was played in Mark Lyell (2200) - Zoltan Hajnal (2364), Keckskemet 2013, which saw 13.Nb5! Bxa1 14.Nxc7+ Kd8, and now 15.Bxf7 would have given White a large advantage, according to the engines, eg 15...Qf5 (15...Qe4 16.Bg5+ Kxc7 17.Bd5 Qd4 18.Rc1+ Kb8 19.Bd8, with a winning attack) 16.Nxa8, when material is level but Black's king is very exposed.
9.e5!?
This seems to have been Thompson's invention, and is the only move mentioned by Harding. Normal, and much preferred by the engines, had been 9.cxd4, as twice played by Howard Staunton in a win and a draw against Johann Löwenthal.
9...dxe5 10.cxd4?
The game has transposed to a position which, as mentioned in part two of this series, was reached by Morphy twice as White in 1858. He played the stronger 10.Re1.
10...exd4 11.Nbd2?!
The engines give 11.Bg5 with a small edge to Black. The text seems too slow.
11...Nge7 12.Bb2 0-0 13.Ne4 Qg6 14.Bd3 Bf5 15.Nh4 Qh5 16.Nxf5 Nxf5
White's harassment of the black queen has netted him the bishop-pair, but he has precious little attack for his three-pawn deficit.
17.f4 Rfe8?!
Not the best. More convincing is the engines' 17...Nb4.
18.Rf3?!
Thompson could have created more problems with 18.Ng5, when the engines' 18...Re3 19.Qxb7 Rb8 20.Qa6 Rxd3!? 21.Qxd3 Ne3 may be good for Black, but is messy.
18...Nb4 19.Ng5!?
As in their previous game, Thompson hopes to conjure an attack, but Morphy has the defence well in hand.
19...Nxd3 20.Qxd3 Qg6 21.Rh3 Re3 22.Qb5 Rxh3 23.Qxb7 Re8 24.Nxh3 Bb6 25.Rf1 Ne3 26.f5 Qg4 27.Nf2 Qe2 28.Rb1 Nd1 0-1
*I am comparing play with two specialist books: Open Gambits: Italian And Scotch Gambit play by George Botterill (Batsford 1986) and Evans Gambit And A System Vs. Two Knights' Defense by Tim Harding (Chess Digest, 1991); and with two respected repertoire books: The Chess Advantage In Black And White by Larry Kaufman (McKay Chess Library, 2004) and Bologan's Black Weapons In The Open Games: How To Play For A Win If White Avoids The Ruy Lopez by Victor Bologan (New In Chess, 2014).

Morphy v The Evans (part two)

THE London-born, American-based master James Thompson played three Evans' Gambits against Paul Morphy in 1857.
As before I will compare their play with modern views on the Evans, as expressed in four books from the past four decades.*
Thompson - Morphy
New York (sometimes given as New Orleans, but New York is more likely)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.d4
Very much the mainline today. Back in 1857 it was starting to replace 6.0-0 as the favourite of top players.
6...exd4
Again this is overwhelmingly most-popular today, but Stockfish10 prefers 6...d6, while Komodo10's second choice for quite some time is 6...b5!? before switching to 6...Nge7.
Bologan recommends the intriguing 6...b5!?, which he calls Baxter's Line, stating: "[It] has one huge advantage over the theoretically accepted line: it doesn't have a pile of theory to learn. The idea is interesting: since 6...Nxd4? doesn't work because of 7.Nxe5 Ne6 8.Nxf7!, Black first removes the 'White Shark' [ie the white light-square bishop] from the dangerous diagonal." His mainline goes 7.Bxb5 Nxd4 8.Nxd4 exd4 9.Qxd4 Qf6 10.0-0 Bb6, with a position that appears just five times in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database. All games were played after publication of Bologan's book. White managed just two draws, with only one of the five games being a mis-match in Black's favour rating-wise.
7.0-0
This is almost automatic in modern Evans' Gambits, although Nigel Short has also tried 7.Qb3, which is preferred by Harding because of the move given in the next note. Kaufman agrees.

Position after 7.0-0

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7...d6
Botterill prefers 7...Nge7! (his punctuation), stating: "The variation introduced by this move constitutes my main reason for thinking that 6.d4 is not superior to 6.0-0." His mainline runs: 8.cxd4 d5 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Ba3! Be6 11.Bb5 Bb4 12.Bxc6+ bxc6 13.Bxb4 Nxb4 14.Qa4 Qd6, citing analysis by Grigory Levenfish. The engines slightly prefer White.
8.cxd4
Botterill gives 8.Qb3 Qf6 9.e5! dxe5 10.Re1 "with a strong attack," which was how Morphy twice handled the white side in 1858.
8...Bb6
This was mainstream theory in 1857, having been thoroughly tested 23 years earlier in games between Louis de la Bourdonnais and Alexander McDonnell.
9.d5!?
Closing the diagonal of White's light-square bishop looks strange, but has scored well.
9...Nce7
McDonnell eventually tried this against Bourdonnais, having been rather unsuccessful with 9...Ne5 and 9...Na5 (+0=1-5), but it did him no good - he lost again.
10.e5 Ng6 11.Ng5?
A misguided attempt to improve on Bourdonnais's 11.Bb2, which was later tried by, among others, Szymon Winawer.
11...N8e7?
Morphy was not a pawn snatcher, but it is hard to see what he feared after the obvious 11...Nxe5, which not only wins a second pawn, but hits the bishop and prevents 12.Qf3.
12.Re1?
Thompson misses his chance. 12.e6 fxe6 13.dxe6 would have left Morphy with a tricky defence.
12...0-0
Still strong was ...Nxe5, but the text is also good.
13.Qh5 h6 14.Ne4 Nxe5
Black is two pawns up. Thompson tries a desperate piece sac, but to no avail.
15.Bxh6!? gxh6 16.Nf6+
16.Qxh6 is met by 16...Nf5 or 16...Ng4.
16...Kg7 17.Rxe5 dxe5 18.Qxe5 Kh8!?
Morphy realises a knight discovery cannot recoup the whole rook that White is down.
19.Bd3
19.Nd7+ can be met by, among others, 19...f6.
19....Qd6 20.Qb2 Qf4 21.Ne4+
21.Nd7+ Bd4.
21...f6 22.g3 Qe5 23.Qd2 Ng8 24.Nbc3 f5 25.Re1 fxe4 26.Rxe4? Rxf2 0-1
*Two specialist books: Open Gambits: Italian And Scotch Gambit play by George Botterill (Batsford 1986) and Evans Gambit And A System Vs. Two Knights' Defense by Tim Harding (Chess Digest, 1991).
And two are respected repertoire books: The Chess Advantage In Black And White by Larry Kaufman (McKay Chess Library, 2004) and Bologan's Black Weapons In The Open Games: How To Play For A Win If White Avoids The Ruy Lopez by Victor Bologan (New In Chess, 2014).

Morphy v The Evans

PAUL Morphy faced 1.e4 a total of 86 times, replying 1...e5 in all but two of those games.
On 23 occasions the games continued 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5, and 13 of those saw White play 4.b4.
As these figures suggest, Evans' Gambit was phenomenally popular in Morphy's day.
He frequently played it as White, so how he dealt with it as Black - he scored +11=0-2* - should be instructive for those looking for a line against the Evans.
To help me I will be comparing the play of Morphy and his opponents' with the views expressed in four modern books that have much to say on the Evans.
Two are specialist books: Open Gambits: Italian And Scotch Gambit play by George Botterill (Batsford 1986) and Evans Gambit And A System Vs. Two Knights' Defense by Tim Harding (Chess Digest, 1991).
And two are respected repertoire books: The Chess Advantage In Black And White by Larry Kaufman (McKay Chess Library, 2004) and Bologan's Black Weapons In The Open Games: How To Play For A Win If White Avoids The Ruy Lopez by Victor Bologan (New In Chess, 2014).
Not that I planned it, but this is one book from each of the last four decades, so it may be interesting to see how attitudes to the Evans have evolved.
First up is a game played when Morphy was 13.
James McConnell - Morphy
New Orleans 1850
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4
Morphy always accepted the Evans.
5.c3 Ba5
As we will see, Morphy split his affections between this move and 5...Bc5.
6.0-0!?
Far more popular today is 6.d4, but the experts are not unanimous in their opinions.
Botterill: "Which is the better option? In the words of some anonymous author of graffiti, 'I used to think I was indecisive ,,, but now I am not so sure'."
Harding says 6.d4 "has to be the right move."
But in Kaufman's view, 6.0-0 "is now rare, but may be best."
Bologan does not give an opinion on the respective merits of 6.0-0 and 6.d4, or of the other popular choice, 6.Qb3, although he covers all three.

Position after 6.0-0!?

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6...Nf6
Botterill points out that 6.0-0 went out of fashion because of Emanuel Lasker's plan of giving the pawn back, starting with 6...d6 7.d4 Bb6 (Lasker's thinking, along with his views on other variations of the Evans, can be found in Common Sense In Chess - I have the 1965 Dover reprint). Botterill goes to say: "If it had not been for Lasker, [6...Nf6] would probably have become mainline theory in the Evans." Well, even with Lasker, 6...Nf6 is today the main move, at least according to ChessBase's 2019 Mega database.
Harding dismisses 6...Nf6, saying: "I have experimented with [it] but am not happy with my results."
Kaufman  and Bologan do not mention 6...Nf6, only covering 6...d6.
7.d4
This is considered automatic by Botterill.
7...0-0
Serious alternatives include 7...Nxe4, 7...exd4 and 7...d6. My main analysis engines, Stockfish10 and Komodo10, like the text and 7...Nxe4.
8.dxe5?!
Botterill only covers 8.Ba3, but the text is today more popular although probably not best. The engines give 8.Nxe5!? Nxe4 9.Bxf7+ Rxf7 10.Nxf7 Kxf7 11.d5 Ne7 12.Qa4 Bxc3 13.Nxc3 Nxc3 14.Qc4 Ncxd5 15.Bg5, with an unclear position, eg Stockfish10 continues 15...Kf8 16.Qxd5 Nxd5 17.Bxd8, when Black has a knight and two passed pawns for a rook.
8...Nxe4 9.Ba3 d6 10.exd6 Nxd6 11.Bb3 Bg4 12.h3 Bh5 13.Qd5 Bg6 14.Ne5 Nxe5 15.Qxa5?
15.Qxe5 is better, although White has no compensation for his pawn-minus.
15...Qg5
Black has a winning attack.
16.Kh1 Be4 17.f3 Bxf3 18.gxf3 Qg3 19.Nd2 Nf5 20.Rae1 Qxh3+ 21.Kg1 Rfe8 22.Rf2 Qg3+ 23.Kf1
This allows a mate in six, but White's position was hopeless anyway.
23...Nd3 24.Rxe8 Rxe8 25.Bxf7+ Kh8 0-1
*All these figures are from ChessBase's 2019 Mega database.

Morphy v The ...e6 Sicilian (conclusions)

PAUL Morphy scored +3=1-0 against Louis Paulsen's ...e6 Sicilian in the final of the First American Chess Congress, held in New York in 1857.
This was very convincing, especially when considered against his much narrower plus-score as Black of +2=1-1.
Morphy's priority, as in his play against the French and the Petrov, was speedy development.
But he was not blind to positional considerations. Indeed he made a point of targeting the hole Black allows at d6 in the ...e6 Sicilian.
And he took time out in their second Sicilian to play the positional a4 to prevent Black getting in an effective ...b5.
What is perhaps particularly significant is that, contrary to his usual practice in 1.e4 games, Morphy did not castle early.
In games one and three he castled on the 11th move, in game two on the 15th, and not at all in game four.
Clearly he recognised, as is common knowledge today, that early castling in semi-open games is not as urgent or as beneficial as in open games.
It could be objected that he used to castle early against the French, which is a semi-open game, but Morphy did that because he turned the French into an open game by clearing the e file of pawns.
In modern chess, Black often plays ...a6 in ...e6 Sicilians, ensuring the hole at d6 will not be an issue, at least early on. This modern treatment is at least partly due to how Morphy exploited d6 in his games against Paulsen.
The modern treatment limits the lessons we can learn from Morphy's play in this match. But his fondness for speedy development, while keeping a watch for positional opportunities and not obsessing about early castling, are useful indicators.

Morphy v The ...e6 Sicilian (part four)

Paul Morphy - Louis Paulsen
First American Chess Congress
Final - Game 7
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Be3 Qb6 6.Nc3
Morphy preferred 6.Nb5!? in his previous game as White.
6...Qxb2?
This loses, rather than gains, material.
Overwhelmingly more popular today is 6...Nc6, which seems to have been the invariable choice of Michael Basman, who played this line a lot in the 1970s.
7.Ndb5 Bxe3
Even worse is 7...Na6? 8.Bxc5 Nxc5 9.Rb1.
8.Rb1
Black loses his queen.
8...Qxb1 9.Nxb1 Bf4 10.g3 a6
If Black's dark-square bishop is driven from the b8-h2 diagonal, Nc7+ is curtains.
11.gxf4 axb5 12.Nc3 Ne7
Or 12...b4 13.Nb5, eg 13...Na6 14.Nd6+ Ke7 15.Bxa6 bxa6 16.Qd4.
13.Nxb5 0-0 14.Nd6 Nbc6
14....Rxa2 restores an approximate material equality, at least in the view of those authorities who reckon rook, knight and pawn are worth a queen, but White is much better. One line given by Stockfish10 runs 15.f5 b6 16.Rg1 Ba6 17.f6 Ng6 18.fxg7 Kxg7 19.h4 Bxf1 20.Kxf1 h5 21.f4, and if 21...f5, to stop 22.f5, then 22.Rg5 is very strong.
15.Rg1 Rxa2 16.f5 f6 17.Bc4 Ra4 18.f4 b6 19.fxe6 dxe6 20.Nxc8 Nxc8 21.Bxe6+ Kh8 22.Bxc8?
This gives away much of White's advantage. A strange lapse by Morphy, especially when White had several strong moves, including 22.Qg4 and 22.Bd5.
22...Rxc8!?
More obvious is 22...Rxe4+ 23.Kf2 Rxc8, when the main line given by Stockfish10 and Komodo10, 24.Qd5 Rd4 25.Qe6 Rd2+ 26.Kg3 Rdd9 27.Rd1 Re8 28.Qd7, does not look a clear win for White.
23.Qd7?
White is better, but not necessarily winning, after 23.Qd5 Ne7 24.Qd3.
23...Ne7??
Did Paulsen really play this howler? Yes, according to all the sources I have consulted, and yet it is hard to believe he (and Morphy, for that matter) missed 23...Rxe4+, when Black is fine.
24.Qxe7
24.Qxa4 is also rather good.
24...Ra1+ 25.Kf2 Rxc2+ 26.Ke3 1-0
A strange finish, although the later moves would make a lot more sense if White had played 18.f3 rather than 18.f4. That way, 23.Qd7 would not be a mistake, but the best move in the position. And Black's reply, 23...Ne7, would not be a howler as Black would be lost anyway.

Morphy v The ...e6 Sicilian (part three)

Paul Morphy - Louis Paulsen
First American Chess Congress
Final - Game 5
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Be3
Morphy played 5.Nb3 in his previous two games of the match as White. The text remains a popular choice today, albeit trailing the knight retreat, and is the choice of the analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo10.
5...Qb6
GM Vladimir Epishin, an expert in this line as Black, has played the more cautious 5...d6.
6.Nb5!?
Morphy must have anticipated the possibility of 5...Qb6, so it is interesting that in his first game with 5.Be3 he does not give Black the opportunity to capture the possibly-poisoned b2 pawn. I guess he was focused on occupying the hole at d6.
6...Nf6
If 6...Bxe3, White can play 7.Nd6+ Kf8 8.fxe3 Qxe3+ 9.Be2, when, for a pawn, Morphy has the type of position he excelled in - smooth development, an outpost at d6 and attacking chances against a king that has lost castling rights. Black does not have to take the e3 pawn, at least not immediately, eg 8...Nc6 keeps his options open, when White has to chose between continuing to offer a pawn, and temporarily abandoning his knight outpost to protect both e3 and b2 with 9.Nc4.
7.Bxc5 Qxc5 8.Nd6?!
This looks natural, but may not be best. The engines like 8.N1c3!, the  point being to delay occupying d6 so the outpost becomes permanent when it is finally occupied, which is not the case after the text.
8...Ke7
Black gives up castling rights to evict the knight, but this is a better version of moving the king than in the note to Black's sixth move.
9.Nxc8+ Rxc8 10.Bd3
Now it is Black who has a lead in development, and the initiative that goes with it. The only fly in the ointment is the position of his king. It looks reasonably safe behind a phalanx of pawns, and is well-placed for an ending, but could become vulnerable to attacks from either flank as well as down the middle.
10...Nc6 11.0-0 h5
A more-promising use of ...h5 than in their last encounter.
12.Nd2 h4 13.h3!?
White's h pawn becomes a target for Black, but Morphy judged this to be a lesser evil than allowing ...h3.
13...g5 14.a3
Seeking counterplay, which is often cited as the No1 requirement for successful defence.
14...Rg8 15.b4 Qb6 16.Nc4 Qb7 17.f3 Ne5 18.Nxe5 Qxe5 19.Qd2 Rg7?!
White's kingside looks suspect, but Paulsen is unable to find a way through, and it is not clear what his last move is aimed at as doubling on the g file looks less than promising. Stockfish10 suggests 19...Qd4+ 20.Qf2 (this seems safer than the engine's alternative of 20.Kh1) Qxf2+ 21.Rxf2 d6, when Stockfish10 reckons Black has the upper hand, but there is certainly no danger of a knockout blow.
20.Rad1 Rd8
Protecting the d pawn so the knight is free to move, but a better way of freeing the knight may have been to play 20...d6. Paulsen was presumably reluctant to move a pawn, especially a pawn protecting his king, from off a light square, where it blunts the actions of the white bishop.
21.Qf2 b6 22.f4
Morphy grabs the chance to activate his queen and king's rook.
22...gxf4 23.Qxf4 Qg5 24.Rf2 Qxf4 25.Rxf4 Rdg8 26.Rd2 Rh8

Who has the advantage?

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Black's attack is gone and he is left with a weak pawn at h4. But we are close to an endgame, and his king is better placed than White's for that. White has backward pawns at g2 and c2, but the latter is unlikely to be a problem. He also has an isolated e pawn, but it is not especially weak. The engines reckon the position is dead-equal. The game might come down to who better utilises his minor piece.
27.e5!
A strong move that makes the white bishop look much better. More to the point is that White's rooks might be able to occupy the weak squares in front of Black's backward d and f pawns. Black can solve this problem by playing ...d6 or ...f6, but then White will no longer have an isolani. On the other hand, Black's e pawn will become a protected passer.
27...Nd5 28.Rd4 f6 29.exf6+ Nxf6 30.Rc4 Kd8 31.a4 Nd5 32.Be4 Nc7?!
A difficult decision, but on c7 the knight looks awkwardly out of reach of the kingside. An anonymous ChessBase annotator gives 32...Nf4 33.Bb7 Ng6 as holding the balance.
33.Bf3 d5?!
This weakens e6. The engines suggest 33...Rh6, while preferring White.
34.Rc6 Rd7
ChessBase suggests 34...Rf8, but White has, as in the game, 35.Bg4, and if 35...Rf4 (counterplay presumably being the point of ...Rf8), one line liked by the engines runs 36.b5!? Rxa4 37.Bxe6 Nxe6 38.Rxe6 Rd7 39.Re5 d4 40.Rh5, when White's rooks are more active. However, it is not clear this is enough to win.
35.Bg4 Rh6 36.Re2 Ke7 37.Kh2 Kf7 38.g3 hxg3+ 39.Kxg3
Morphy has solved the problem of his backward g pawn, and now has a passed h pawn to somewhat match Black's passed e pawn. But the main difference in the position is the greater activity of White's pieces.
39...Re7 40.h4 Ne8?!
Bringing the knight to the kingside looks logical, but the engines do not like it, perhaps because now Black's king is tied to defending e6. They suggest counterplay with 40...Rf6!?, a sample line running 41.c3 Rf1 42.h5 Kf6 43.Rh2 Rg1+ 44.Kh4 Kg7 45.Rf2 Kh7 46.Rf6 Re1, when Black may be holding.
41.h5?
Impetuous. Better was 41.Re5 as then 41...Nf6?? fails to 42.Bxe6+.
41...Nf6!
This now works as 42.Bxe6+ Rxe6 43.Rc7+ (not 43.R(either)xe6?? as 43...Nxh5+ 44.Kg4 Rxe6 45.Rxe6 Kxe6 46.Kxh5 Kf5 is a winning pawn-ending for Black) Kf8 44.Rxe6 Nxh5+ 45.Kg4 Rxe6 46.Kxh5 Re7 47.Rxe7 Kxe7 is a drawn pawn-ending.
42.Rcxe6 Rxe6
Black maintains the balance with ChessBase's 42...Rc7!, eg 43.R6e5 Rc3+ 44.Kh4 Rc4 45.Kg5 Rxg4+ 46.Kxh6 Ng8+ 47.Kh7 Nf6+ etc.
43.Bxe6+ Kg7?
Better was 43...Kf8 so Black can win the h pawn without the white rook penetrating via e7. White's edge of having the better minor piece to cooperate with a rook will be minimal as all the remaining pawns are on one side of the board.
44.Bg4 Nxh5+
ChessBase gives this a question mark, but it is the engines' choice, and ChessBase's suggestions of 44...a5 and 44...Ne4+ also lose. Perhaps Black could have tried 44...Kf7!? to cover e7, although White remains a pawn up and with the better minor piece - in  other words, White is still winning.
45.Bxh5 Rxh5 46.Re7+ Kf6
The old adage that all rook endings are drawn does not apply here.
47.Rxa7 Ke5 48.Ra6 Rg5+
If 48...Rh6, then simply 49.a5.
49.Kf3 Rf5+ 50.Ke2 b5
Desperation, but again trying to save the pawn by defending it with the black rook is met by a5.
51.axb5 Rf4 52.c3 d4 53.c4
53.cxd4+?? would be an absurd way to chuck a half-point.
53...Rh4 54.c5 Rh2+ 55.Kd3 Rh3+ 56.Kc2
And 56.Kc4?? would be an absurd way to chuck a whole point.
56...Rh2+ 57.Kb3 Rh3+ 58.Ka4 Kd5 59.Rd6+ Kc4 60.c6 Rh1 61.Rxd4+!?
61.Ka5 also wins, but Morphy's solution is simpler.
61...Kxd4 62.c7 Rh8 63.b6 Kc4 64.b7 1-0
The game apparently lasted ten hours.

Morphy v The ...e6 Sicilian (part two)

Paul Morphy - Louis Paulsen
First American Chess Congress 1857
Final - Game 4*
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3
Morphy prefers the normal open move-order rather the pseudo-Morra he chose in game one.
2...e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Nb3 Bb6 6.Nc3 Nc6
Paulsen previously played the modern favourite 6...Ne7.
7.Bf4
As before, Morphy targets the hole at d6, but this time Paulsen will not let him quickly occupy it with a minor piece.
7...e5!?
This move never caught on, although it is liked by the analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo10 (albeit they give White an edge). Today, ...e5 in the Sicilian is quite common. It is usually played in one move, but Black can argue he has not lost a tempo here as 7...e5!? hits White's dark-square bishop and forces it to choose between the c1-h6 and h2-b8 diagonals.
8.Bg3 Nge7 9.Bc4
This bishop takes an inviting diagonal, but note neither white knight is in a position to help pressurise f7.
9...0-0 10.Nb5 a6?!
It is one thing allowing a white knight into d6, but quite another to spend a tempo driving it there. Stockfish10 suggests an interesting pawn sac: 10...d5!? 11.exd5 Na5 12.Nxa5 Bxa5+ 13.c3 a6 14.Na3 b5 15.Bb3 Qd6, although White must be better.
11.Nd6 Bc7 12.a4
Morphy usually liked to castle early, but in this game he takes time out for what he considers more pressing matters, in this case preventing ...b5, which would, to a certain extent, justify 10...a6?!
12...Ng6 13.Qd2 Qf6 14.Rd1 Nf4
As in game one, Paulsen goes for kingside counterplay without much hope of involving many of his queenside pieces.
15.0-0 h5!?
Attacking with the h pawn after castling kingside - quite a modern idea in top-flight chess (and always has been an idea in low-level chess).
16.Nxc8!?
Grabbing a pawn, but it involves giving up a well-placed knight for a poor bishop - not very Morphy-like.
16...Raxc8 17.Qxd7 Nd4?
An anonymous ChessBase annotator suggests 17...g6, without explaining why, but the implication is to take away f5 from the white queen and so avoid an exchange of queens. The text allows minor-piece exchanges that give White's queen more breathing room.
18.Nxd4 exd4 19.Qf5
Even better seems to be 19.Bxf4, eg 19...Qxf4 20.g3, when Black cannot play 20...Qxe4? because of 21.Bxf7+! If 19...Bxf4, then 20.b3, and Black cannot protect both d4 and b7.
19...Qxf5 20.exf5 Be5
The ChessBase annotator suggests giving up a second pawn with 20...d3!?, the idea being that 21.cxd3 (the engines prefer this to 21.Bxd3) Ne2+ 22.Kh1 Nxg3+ 23.fxg3 Be5 gives drawing chances based, presumably, on opposite-coloured bishops and White's disjointed pawn-structure. Paulsen likely decided he had more swindling chances in a pieces-on middlegame.
21.Bxf4 Bxf4 22.Rxd4?!
Morphy may have thought he was winning a second pawn, but Black has tactics that prevent this. Probably better, therefore, was 22.b3 or 22.Bd3.
22...Be5 23.Re4
23.Rh4 is no improvement as the rook cannot leave the fourth rank as long as the white bishop is loose.
23...Bxb2 24.Rb1 Rfd8 25.g3 Rd4 26.Bd3
Or 26.Rxd4 Bxd4 27.Bd3, and Black has time to protect his b pawn.
26...Rxe4 27.Bxe4 Rc4 28.Bxb7 Rxc2 29.Bxa6 Bd4
Perhaps it was this threat to f2 that Morphy missed back on move 22.
30.Rf1
Passivity in rook endings is often fatal to winning chances, and that also applies to rook-and-opposite-coloured-bishop endings. But White seems to have nothing better.
30...Ra2 31.Bb5 Kh7 32.Bc4
The a pawn cannot be advanced, so Morphy jettisons it for a black pawn, but now all pawns will be on one side of the board.
32...Rxa4 33.Bxf7 h4 34.Kg2
If 34.gxh4, then 34...Be5 35.h5 Rh4, winning the h2 pawn.
34...Ra1 35.Bg6+ Kg8 36.Rxa1 Bxa1 ½–½

The final position - should Morphy have played on?

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Komodo10 and Stockfish10 agree White is winning.
That is also a common view on the internet. eg at chessgames.com, where various reasons are given for Morphy agreeing a draw:
He disliked endgames, I think - Catfriend
I believe white has a win here. Not an easy win, but a win nonetheless. Maybe they agreed to a draw because of exhaustion. Some of the games played in that era could go on for days - technicaldraw
Morphy often agreed to draws in positions that favoured him. These days we're concerned with squeezing something from everything and never giving half points away, and that's fair enough; in Morphy's time he was a living legend [this was Morphy's first serious tournament, and possibly his first tournament of any kind], hailed across the world, and romance was the order of the day. The occasional draw was neither here nor there - TrueFiendish
Ask yourself: who's asking for the 'draw', Morphy or Paulsen? And remember the 'Age' in which the're playing. Chess etiquette was an essential character trait of this young master, as was his generosity. Gestures such as this reveal a depth of compassion, adding stature to the growing legend - Rory O Rion
I think Morphy agreed to the draw because playing Paulsen was like watching paint dry - RookFile
Amateur psychology aside, let's take a look at the position on the board.
The first thing to note, apart from the opposite-coloured-bishops, is that White has the wrong bishop for promoting an h pawn as h8 is a dark square.
Bearing that in mind, here is the mainline, compiled largely by the engines with me playing Black:
37.Kh3 hxg3 38.fxg3 Bf6
It does not matter where exactly the bishop goes as long as it oscillates on the long dark diagonal.
39.Kg4 Bb2 40.h4 Bf6 41.Kf4 Bb2 42.g4 Bf6 43.g5 Bb2
How can White make progress? The engines still believe White is winning, but their evaluation stays exactly the same and all they do from now on is move the white king here and there - both signs that a position is really drawn.
Indeed it can be seen that even if White could somehow get in the move f6 (or the moves h5-h6) without losing material, Black can play ...gxf6 (or ...gxh6), leaving White with pawns on the h and f files. Both those files' queening squares, from White's perspective, are dark squares, which can easily be controlled by Black's king and bishop.
Going back to the diagram, White could go three pawns up by playing 37.gxh4, but then he has two sets of doubled pawns on files with dark queening squares.
So the answer is: No, Morphy should not have played on.
*Morphy had the white pieces in games one, four, five and seven; Paulsen in two, three, six and eight.

Champion Game

HAD an interesting and instructive tussle last night in the Battersea Club Championship.
Spanton (168) - Tim Wells (147)
...e6 Sicilian
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Nc3 Qc7
No doubt this has been commented on before, but it really is quite surprising that Black can start the game with four pawn moves, followed by developing his queen, and still have a position regarded as perfectly sound.
6.Bd3 Nc6 7.Be3 b5 8.0-0 Bb7 9.f4?!
This move is typical of my play through much of this game - concentrating on my threats while ignoring those of my opponent.

Position after 9.f4?!

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9...Nxd4!?
It was only after making my last move that I saw the danger of 9...Bc5. As my opponent thought about his ninth move, I decided on meeting 9...Bc5 with 10.Nf5?? Hopefully I would have seen this loses to 10...Qb6, in which case I would probably have resigned myself to the retreat 10.Be2??, which also loses to 10...Qb6. Maybe, just maybe, I would have plumped for my other thought of 10.Nce2, after which Black is only a little better. My main analysis engines, Stockfish10 and Komodo10, also point out the complications-inducing 10.Qg4!? One line runs 10...Nxd4 11.Qxg7 Nxc2 12.Bxc2 Bxe3+ 13.Kh1 b4 14.Qxh8 Ke7 15.e5 bxc3, with  a very unclear position. Black can avoid these complications with 10...Qb6, when 11.Nxc6 Bxe3 12.Kh1 g6 13.Ne5 may be slightly better for him.
The text is simpler and also gives Black a fine game, but seems to be not as strong.
10.Bxd4 Bc5 11.Bxc5!?
The engines prefer this to 11.Bf2, but the latter was probably more solid.
11...Qxc5+ 12.Kh1!?
Again the engines narrowly prefer this over the alternative, namely self-pinning by 12.Rf2, but putting the king on the same diagonal as Black's remaining bishop proves later to be the root cause of White's problems (along with a contemptuous attitude towards the opponent's grade).
Having typed this, I find the engines changing their evaluations, with Stockfish10 narrowly preferring 12.Rf2, while Komodo10 values the moves equally.
12...Nf6 13.e5?!
The engines are happy with this move, until it is played on the board, when Stockfish10 in particular turns against it. Safer was supporting the e pawn with 13.Qe2, or 13.Qe1 (with ideas of Qg3 and/or Qh4).
13...b4
Black's only good move, but it gives him strong play.
14.exf6?!
I too easily dismissed 14.Na4, because of 14...Qc6, but 15.Qd2 Qxa4 16.exf6 gxf6 is a better version of the game, not least because the black queen is sidelined at a4.
14...bxc3 15.f5?
I did not like the look of 15.fxg7 Rg8, with …Rxg7 to come, but that is better than what happens in the game.
15...gxf6 16.fxe6 dxe6 17.Qe2?!
Even worse is 17.Rxf6?? cxb3 18.Rb1 Bxg2+! 19.Kxg2 Qg5+ etc.
The engines prefer 17.bxc3, but this leaves White very passive after 17...Rg8 18.Rg1.
Possibly best was a move I seriously considered, 17.b4!?, but again White is somewhat passive after 17...Qg5 (but not 17...Qxb4? as 18.Rb1 Qe7 19.Qg4! gives White more counterplay than he deserves).
17...cxb2 18.Rab1 Rg8 19.Be4?!
Objectively better is the engines' 19.Rf2, but the text has the merit of inducing a rook-and-pawn-ending, and 'all rook-endings are drawn'
19...Qe5 20.Rfe1 Bxe4 21.Qxe4 Qxe4 22.Rxe4

The ending begins

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Black is two pawns ahead, but he has doubled f pawns and an isolated h pawn. On the other hand, White has two isolated pawns and a less-centralised king, and these factors, combined with Black having a monster pawn on the seventh, mean Black's advantage is worth almost three pawns, according to Komodo10, and more than four pawns, according to Stockfish10.
22...Rb8 23.Ra4 Rb6
This looks natural, and is fine, but even stronger was 23...Rg5! as 24.Rxa6 is met by 24...Rc5, when White might as well resign.
24.Kg1
Quite apart from the general desire of centralising the king, White needs to solve the problem of a possible back-rank mate at some point, and that point might as well be now.
24...Rg5 25.Kf2 Rc5 26.c4 a5 27.Ke3 e5 28.Kd3 f5 29.Kc3 Ke7 30.Rxb2 Rxb2 31.Kxb2 Kd6
White has eliminated the dangerous b pawn, but Black is still winning, although the position requires care.
32.Kc3 e4?!
Black may still be winning after this, but this makes it more difficult. Better was 32...f4, which also starts advancing his pawn-mass and effectively pins the white g pawn, while not immediately giving up the d4 square. Then 33.Kd3 is met by 33...f5, so best seems to be 33.Ra3, and then 33...e4 34.Kd4 e3 gives Black a similar position as in the game, but with his e and f pawns one square further forward.
33.Kd4 f6?!
Again Black may still be winning after this, but clearer was 33...Re5 34.Ra3 a4! 35.Ke3 (not 35.Rxa4?? e3) Ra5, although this is not completely clear either.
34.Ra3?!
It was probably better to immediately fix the f5 pawn with 34.g3, then 34...Re5 can be met with 35.Ke3, when it is not obvious how Black can make progress.
34...Re5 35.Rb3?
Now Black seems to be winning again. White had to play 35.Ke3, when 35...a4!? 36.g3 Ra5 is similar to the note to Black's 33rd move. But with the king already on e3, White can capture the a pawn, eg 36.Rxa4 f4+ 37.Ke2 Rh5 38.h3 Rc5, although Black's king then has what seems a winning penetration via e5 and d4. However, in this line the engines give 38.Kf2!, when 38...Rxh2 39.Kg1 Rh4 40.c5+ gives serious drawing chances. Black should not take the h pawn - instead the engines give 38...Rc5! 39.g3 Ke5, with a position that Stockfish10 reckons is winning for Black, but Komodo10 reckons is only slightly better for Black.
35...Kc6 36.g3 h5?!
Better was 36...a4, eg 37.Ra3 Ra5.
37.a4 Ke7?
White has a draw after this. Stockfish10 gives 37...h4 38.Rb2 (38.Rb5?? e3) h3 39.Rb3 Kd6 40.Rb6+ Kc7 41.Rb2 Re6 42.Ke3 (or 42.Rb3 Rd6+ 43.Ke3 Kd7 44.Kf4 Rd2)) Rc6 43.Rc2 Kd6 as winning for Black, and certainly Black has made progress compared with the game.
38.Ke3 Rb7
38...Re5 is met in the same way.
39.Rb5 Rxb5
Black offered a draw, but now it is White who has (hopes of) winning chances.
40.cxb5+ Kc5 41.h3 Kb6 42.g4 fxg4 43.hxg4 hxg4
Not 43...h4?? as 44.Kxe4 wins for White!
44.Kxe4 f5+ ½–½

Morphy v The ...e6 Sicilian

THE vast majority of Paul Morphy's opponents met his invariable 1.e4 with 1...e5.
But the Sicilian Defence was popular for much of the 19th century, and Morphy met one of its champions, the German master Louis Paulsen, in the first American Chess Congress.
This was held in New York in 1857 as a knockout tournament, and had the happy coincidence that the two best players met in the eight-game final.
In all four games in which Morphy had the white pieces, Paulsen replied with what is sometimes still called the Paulsen Variation of the Sicilian, and it is these four games I will be looking at in this series.
Morphy - Paulsen
Game 1
1.e4 c5 2.d4
Morphy varied between 2.d4 cxd4 3.Nf3 and the modern move-order of 2.Nf3 and 3.d4. He never played the Morra.
2...cxd4 3.Nf3 e6
3...e5!? is usually treated scornfully in opening publications, but it was successfully used by Howard Staunton in 1842 against John Cochrane, and is regarded by the analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo10 as giving an equal game.
4.Nxd4 Bc5!?
This has largely been superseded by 4...a6, 4...Nc6, 4...Nf6 and 4...Qb6, but is a favourite of the Russian GM, and former Karpov second, Vladimir Epishin.
5.Nb3
Morphy is credited by an anonymous annotator in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database as the inventor of this move, at least when used with Bf4 to highlight Black's weakness at d6. While this is not true - the plan was used by Tassilo von Heydebrand und der Lasa in a game seven years earlier - it may be fair to say Morphy's use of it in his match against Paulsen was a major factor in popularising the idea.
5...Bb6 6.Nc3 Ne7
Overwhelmingly the most-popular move today, but Heydebrand's opponent, August Ehrmann, preferred the modern-looking 6...a6.
7.Bf4 0-0
7...d5!? has been successfully used by the Filipino IM Paulo Bersamina.
8.Bd6 f5
Black's position looks rather restricted, but Paulsen was apparently relying on this pawn-break to create kingside counterplay.

How should White proceed?

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9.e5
Keeping the f file closed might seem a no-brainer, but Russian-born GM Sergei Tiviakov preferred 9.Qd2!? in a 1999 win over a 2294. I guess his thinking was that ...fxe4 is double-edged as White replies Nxe4 with hopes of his own quick kingside attack.
9...a6
Jim Plaskett - then an IM, now a GM - preferred 9...f4 in a 1983 draw against GM Sergey Kudrin.
10.Be2 Nbc6 11.0-0 Rf7
The game has transposed into the 1850 game Heydebrand - Ehrmann, which continued 12.a4 Ng6 13.Bh5, when the engines reckon Black could have freed his game with 13...Ncxe5!? 14.Bxe5 Nxe5 15.Bxf7+ Nxf7.
Morphy prefers to go for a kingside attack before Black can mobilise his queenside.
12.Kh1 f4!?
As the ChessBase annotator notes, this prevents 13.f4 and frees f5 for the black king's knight, but also frees e4 for White's pieces.
13.Ne4 Nf5?!
The engines prefer a ChessBase suggestion of targeting the e5 pawn by 13...Ng6, although they believe White has more than enough compensation for the fall of the pawn.
14.Bh5 g6?!
This weakens f6, which is why ChessBase and the engines prefer 15...Nxd6 followed by ...Rf8.
15.Bg4
Even stronger is 15.Bf3!, the point being that 15...Nxd6 can be met by 16.Nxd6 Rf8 (ChessBase suggests sacing the exchange with 16...Nxe5!?) 17.Bxc6, when White has a monster knight entrenched on d6.

Black is under pressure, but can you come up with a better move than Paulsen managed?

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15...Ng7?
As the ChessBase annotator laconically puts it: "Not easy to understand." Better was 15...Nxd6 16.Nxd6 Rf8, when the knight on c6 gives Black distracting pressure against e5.
16.Qf3 h5 17.Bh3 Qh4
Paulsen seems to have overestimated his attacking chances. However, the engines' suggested 17...Ne8, protecting f6, does not inspire confidence - Black's queenside pieces are largely locked out of the game.
18.Nf6+ Kh8 19.Qe4 Qg5 20.g3 f3
This pawn will be lost, but it is understandable that Paulsen did not want to play 20...fxg3 and open the f file for the white rooks.
21.Nd2! Bd8
Not 21...Qxd2?? 22.Qxg6.
22.Nxf3 Qh6 23.Rg1 Bxf6 24.exf6 Ne8
Not much better is 24...Rxf6. The engines give 25.Bf4 Qh7 followed by, for example, 26.Qe2 Nf5 27.Rad1 d5 28.Rge1 Bd7 29.Ne5, when it is hard to see Black holding out for long.
25.Bf4 Nxf6
Moving the queen is equally hopeless.
26.Qxc6 Qxf4 27.Qxc8+ (1-0, 40 moves)

Bradford Finale

I ENTERED the fifth and final round of the Bradford U171 on 3.5/4, a half-point ahead of the chasing pack.
Spanton (168) - Mark Whitehead (167)
Maroczy Bind
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4!?
Carlsen and Leko are among those who have played this.
3...Nc6 4.Nc3 d6
My main analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo10 like 4...Nd4!?, which was tried by Fine and Alekhine, albeit the latter in a simul.
5.d4 cxd4 6.Nxd4 Nf6 7.Be2 Bd7!?
Komodo10's choice. It has also been the choice of at least one 2500+ player, but has a very-apparent drawback.
8.Nb5!?
The engines prefer getting on with development with a move such as Be3 or castling.
8...Qb8 9.Bf4 Ne5
For some reason this move, which is quite common in positions like this, had not occurred to me.
10.0-0
It would be wrong to give up White's good bishop and relinquish control of the d4 square by 10.Bxe5? dxe5.
10...a6 11.Nd4 Be7 12.Qd2 0-0 13.Rfd1 Rd8 14.Rac1
The engines prefer 14.a4 or 14.f3.

Black has a thematic move available

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14...Qc7
I do not believe either of us seriously considered that Black can break the bind here with the engines' 14...b5! The point is that after 14.cxb5 axb5, White cannot win a pawn as his queen's knight is overloaded protecting e4 and a2, which is why the engines wanted 14.f3 or 14.a4.
15.b3 Rac8 16.h3 Qb8 17.Qe3 Ng6 18.Bg3 Bf8 19.Kh1 e5?!
It is not often that ...e5 is a good move against the Maroczy Bind, and this position is no exception. Black should have continued manoeuvring.
20.Nf5 Bc6
Again it was possible to play ...b5. Another possibility was 20...Bxf5 21.exf5 Ne7, but White looks better after 22.Bd3 or 22.Qf3.
21.Nd5 Bxd5 22.cxd5
The engines prefer 22.exd5!?, but in either case give White an edge.
22...Rxc1 23.Rxc1 Rc8 24.Bf3 Ne7?
Better was 24...Rc7. The text allows White a strong kingside attack (as well as giving up the open c file).
25.Rxc8 Nxc8 26.Bh4 Nd7
There is nothing better, eg 26...Ne7 runs into 27.Nh6+! (even more effective than 27.Bxf6).
27.Qc1?
I did not play 27.Qg5 because I missed that after 27...Kh8? 28.Nxg7! Bxg7 29.Qd8+ Nf8, White wins his piece back with 30.Bg4. The engines reckon that after 27.Qg5, best play goes 27...g6 28.Nh6+ Bxh6 29.Qxh6, when they much prefer White.
27...Nc5 28.b4 Nd3 29.Qc3 Nf4 30.Bg5?!
Not a great idea as White does not want to give up his good bishop for a knight which, while it looks good, can do little by itself. Better was 30.Bg4, with a veiled threat against the c8 knight while threatening to evict the f4 knight with g3.
30...h6 31.Bxf4?
White is still better after, say, 31.Bd8. The text damages Black's pawn-structure, it is true, but more significant is that White is left with a bishop at least as bad as Black's.
31...exf4 32.Bg4 Nb6 33.Qc1 g6 34.Nd4 Bg7 35.Ne2 g5 36.Qc2 Qd8 37.a4 Nd7 38.Bxd7 Qxd7 39.a5?!
Giving up the b5 square to the black queen. Sensible was the solidifying 39.f3.
39...Be5
Not 39...f3?, as White's knight gets to the strong f5 square via g3.
40.f3?!
This seems to be another inaccuracy. The engines eventually settle on 40.Nc1, so 40...Qb5 can be met by 41.Nd3, which protects b4 without allowing the black queen to enter White's position.
40...Kf8?!
Better was 40...Qb5, which forces 41.Qd2 and so allows 41...Qa4. White is then very passive, but might be able to defend.
41.Kg1?! Ke7?!
Again White should have prepared to defend b4 with the knight, and Black should have invaded via b5.
42.Nc1 Bd4+ 43.Kh2 Be5 44.Nd3 f6 45.Nxe5 ½–½
The draw allowed three players on 3pts to catch me for a share of first place. We each won £80.
My score of +3=2-0 was an ECF grading performance of 191.

Réti

Bradford U171 Round 4
Marek Soszynski (164) - Spanton (168)
Réti
1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 e6 3g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 Be7 5.b3 0-0 6.0-0 Nbd7 7.Bb2 b6 8.d4!?

Only fourth-most popular in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database, but White scores 73% with it.

8...Bb7 9.Nbd2 Rc8 10.Rc1 c5 11.Ne5!?

The idea of White developing his queen's knight to d2 is largely so the dark-square bishop can support the king's knight occupying e5, but 11.Ne5!? may be premature as it allows Black to dissolve White's centre. The commonest move, as played by Korchnoi, Hübner and Ribli, is 11.e3.

11...cxd4 12.Bxd4 Nxe5 13.Bxe5 Ng4 14.Bb2 Bf6 15.Ba3 Re8

15...Be7!? would be a tacit invitation to a draw, and psychologically was probably the best move as MS was a half-point behind me and so would have been more-or-less obliged to exchange his powerful dark-square bishop.

16.h3 Ne5 17.Nf3!?

This somewhat surprised me as I thought MS would want to keep pieces on. The analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo10 suggest 17.cxd5, but rate the position as equal.

Black to make his 17th move

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17...Nxf3+

This seemed obvious, bearing in mind the tournament situation, but I should have seriously considered 17...dxc4!?, when the engines reckon best play is 18.Nxe5 Bxg2 19.Kxg2 Bxe5 20.bxc4 Qc7, with a small edge to Black thanks to White's isolated queenside pawns.

18.Bxf3 Rc7 19.cxd5 Rxc1 20.Qxc1 Bxd5 21.Rd1 Qa8 22.Bxd5 exd5

Now it is Black who has the only isolani.

23.Qd2

A natural-looking move, but probably better was 23.e3!?

23...d4!

This equalises by fixing White's e pawn, which is why 23.e3!? would have been more of a challenge.

24.Qd3 ½–½
If 24.Bb2, then 24...Qe4 25.Bxd4 Bxd4 26.Qxd4 Qxe2, with complete equality.

Morphy v The Petrov (conclusions)

PAUL Morphy faced the Petrov six times, scoring +3=2-1 (66.7%).
On the face of it, that was a poor percentage for him, but the strength of the opposition, and the nature of the games, including blindfolds and simuls, should be taken into account.
In addition, Morphy failed to convert probably-winning endings in both the draws, and the loss was a wild game that could have gone either way.
The first time against the Petrov, he played the Cozio Attack (3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Qe2), but seems to have concluded that White's edge was too small (this is in line with modern thinking about this system).
In his next two outings, he played the Boden–Kieseritzky Gambit (3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Nc3).
Despite winning both games, he switched to the Classical Attack (3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4), which Johann Löwenthal had played against him three times in their 1858 match.
Those three games ended in a win apiece and a draw, and it is tempting to think this made an impression on Morphy.
The trouble with this theory is that the two Boden–Kieseritzky Gambits came either side of the match.
Morphy scored a win and a draw with his two Classical Attacks, but for his final outing against the Petrov, he switched back to the Boden–Kieseritzky Gambit.
This was the only game of the six that he lost, so it is anyone's guess what he would have played had the question arisen again.
What can be said from all six games is that, as against the French, Morphy strove for quick development in an open position as a prelude to an attack on the opposition king.