Last year it rained, seemingly incessantly. Not only did the main road down to Bugibba's seafront turn into a river, but the pavements alongside it did too.
This year, with the exception of yesterday when there was a downpour that partly flooded my hotel room (no damage - easily cleared up after a call to reception), it has again been warm and sunny. Officially the daily highs have been in the low 20s, but it feels much warmer in the sun.
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| Today I went for a walk around St Paul's Bay - in the centre background can be seen the island where the apostle is traditionally said to have been shipwrecked on his way to Rome in about AD59 |
Spanton (1934) - Manfred Wacker (1763)
Malta Round 5
French Exchange
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Bd6 5.Bd3 Ne7
The most popular move in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database.
There is a school of thought that there are two major ways in the Exchange Variation of the French for Black to create winning chances by unbalancing the position. One, not surprisingly, is to castle on opposite wings.
The other is to watch how White develops his king's knight, and then develop the black king's knight differently. So if the white knight goes to f3, Black, according to this way of thinking, should develop his king's knight to e7. Similarly, if the white knight goes to e2, the black one should go to f6.
6.0-0 0-0 7.Nc3
More popular are 7.Bg5, 7.Re1 and 7.c3, but Morphy liked to play an early Nc3. However, I have no evidence to prove he would have played it in this exact position.
7...h6
Overwhelmingly most popular is 7...c6.
8.Re1
White can win the bishop-pair with 8.Nb5!? Bf5 9.Nxd6 Qxd6, and either 10.Be2 or 10.Bb5, but the loss of time involved seems to give Black at least equal play.
8...Re8 9.Ne5!?
Nb5 is now liked by Stockfish10 and Komodo10. One point is that the reply ...Bf5 is now a blunder thanks to 10.Nxd6 Qxd6 11.Rxe7.
9...Be6?!
Not a great square for the bishop. The engines suggest either 9...Bxe5, when 10.dxe5 gives rival pawn-majorities, which I would have been happy with, or 9....Nbc6, when 10.Nxc6 bxc6 gives Black queenside weaknesses, but is better, according to the engines, than 10...Nxc6 11.Rxe8+ Qxe8 12.Nb5.
10.f4!?
The engines have a major difference of opinion here. Stockfish10 reckons 10.Qh5!? is winning for White, while Komodo10 reckons the position would be equal.
10...c6?!
Almost certainly too slow. The engines reckon Black should, in classic style, counterattack in the centre with 10...c5 or 10...Nbc6.
11.Qh5
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| Can you find a defence for Black? |
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11...Nd7!
This seems to be the best move in a difficult position. Another try is 11...Qb6!?, when one fascinating line given by the engines runs 12.Be3 Nd7 13.f5 Nf6 14.fxe6!? Nxh5 15.exf7+ Kf8 (15...Kh8? 16.fxe8=Q+ Rxe8 17.Nf7+ Kg8 18.Nxd6 gives White a rook and two bishops for his queen) 16.Nd7+ Kxf7 17.Nxb6 axb6 18.Bd2, with White's bishop-pair perhaps giving a slight edge.
12.f5 Nf6 13.Qf3
I could not decide between this and 13.Qh3!? In the end I went for the text as it seems more conventional, but the engines prefer the self-pin.
13...Bd7 14.g4
I was not about to give up my lovely knight on e5 for Black's bad bishop, even though it would give me the bishop-pair. However, the engines are OK with 14.Nxd7.
14...c5
14...Qb6 15.Be3 Qxb2!? looks like a very risky pawn grab, but the engines reckon 15...c5 might well be fine for Black.
15.g5 cxd4?
Black had to play 15...hxg5 16.Bxg5 cxd4, when White gets good play for the pawn after 17.Bxf6 or 17.Nxd7.
16.gxf6 Nxf5 17.Bxf5
Even stronger may be 17.Nxd5.
17...Bxe5?
Better was 17...dxc3, although White emerges a piece-for-two-pawns up after the engines' knight-promotion line 18.Nxd7! Rxe1+ 19.Kf2 Re6! (19...Re8? 20.Qg4) 20.Bxe6 fxe6 21.f7+ Kh7! (21...Kh8 22.Qh5 Qxd7 23.Bxh6!) 22.f8=N+! Bxf8 23.Nxf8+ Qxf8 24.bxc3.
18.Bxh6??
Right idea; wrong execution. White wins easily after either 18.Bxd7! Bxh2+ 19.Kxh2 Rxe1 20.Bxh6! (20.Qg3 also wins) or 18.Nxd5! Bxh2+? (better, but still losing, is 18...Bxf6 19.Rxe8+) 19.Kxh2 Rxe1 20.Bxh6!, eg 20...Rxa1 21.Qg3 Qb8 22.Bf4.
18...dxc3??
Black wins after the simple 18...Qxf6 as White has too many pieces hanging.
19.Qg4??
The comedy of errors continues (but there is more to come).
White has a draw after 19.Bxg7 Bxf6 20.Bxf6 Qxf6 21.Qg4+ Kh8 22.Qh5+ (but not 22.Bxd7?? Rg8), or 19.Bh7+!? Kxh7 20.Bxg7 Bxf6 (Black has to give back the piece) 21.Bxf6 Rxe1+ 22.Rxe1 Qg8+ 23.Kf2, when White will win the c3 pawn as 23...cxb2?? loses to 24.Qh5#.
19...Qxf6
Black is two pawns up and in some lines wins a third.
20.Bxd7 Bd4+
20...Qxh6, threatening mate on h2, is even stronger, but the text is plenty good enough.
21.Kh1 Rxe1+??
Black wins easily after 21...cxb2, eg 22.Rab1 Rxe1+ 23.Rxe1 Bc3, when White cannot save both his rook and dark-square bishop.
22.Rxe1 Qxh6??
The final blunder. Again ...cxb2 was correct, although the position is unclear as White has a bishop (and the bishop-pair) for three pawns.
23.Qxd4
Black has two pawns for a bishop, but his position is hopeless.
The game finished:
23...cxb2 24.Qxb2 Qd2 25.Rg1 d4 26.Qxb7 Rd8 27.Qc7 Rf8 28.Bf5 Qf2 29.Qg3 1-0
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