Each promontory has a stone watchtower. They were built to give the inhabitants of Benidorm, and other places further inland, advance warning of slavers raiding from Africa.
This morning I walked up to the west watchtower with John Nyman, formerly of Kings Head but now living in Torquay. Like me, he is playing in the U2200.
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| Looking across Benidorm from beside the west watchtower, with the playing venue, the Gran Hotel Bali, on the far left |
Benidorm U2000 Round 2
French Exchange
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5
My eighth attempt at playing against the French Defence in the style of Paul Morphy.
3...exd5 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bd3 Bd6 6.0-0 0-0 7.Nc3 c6 8.Bg5 h6
For the most popular move, 8...Bg4, see https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2019/09/morphing-french.html
9.Bh4 Bg4 10.h3 Bh5
For 10...Bxf3, see https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2019/07/morphy-v-french-part-two.html
11.g4!? Bg6 12.Bxg6
Perhaps more promising is 12.Ne5 Bxd3 13.Qxd3, when White has a lead in development.
12...fxg6 13.g5?
Better was 13.Qd3, even though it allows 13...g5 14.Bg3 Bxg3 15.fxg3 Qd6 with fairly sterile equality.
13...hxg5
Black may be slightly better after the text, but 13...Nh5! 14.gxh6 Qd7 is even stronger.
14.Nxg5
14.Bxg5 Qd7 looks even worse for White.
14...Qd7 15.Qd3 Qf5 16.Qxf5 gxf5 17.Rae1 Nbd7 18.Re6 Bb4 19.Ne2 Rfe8 20.Nf4 Rxe6 21.Nfxe6 Nf8 22.c3 Bd6 23.Nxf8 Rxf8 24.Re1 Re8?!
Black gets into difficulties after this natural-looking move as it allows White to use his only trump in the position - the advanced knight. Black is fine after 24...Ne4.
25.Rxe8+ Nxe8 26.Ne6 b6!?
Stockfish10's second choice. I expected the engine's first choice, 26...Bc7, when 27.Bd8 Bxd8 28.Nxd8 Nd6 is equal. More problematic for Black is 27.Nc5 b6 28.Nd3 a5 (the threat was 29.Nb4) 29.Bg3 Bxg3 30.fxg3 Nd6 31.Ne5.
Komodo10 gives 26...Bf8 27.Nd8 Nd6 28.f3, with an edge for White.
27.Kg2
Taking a time-out to improve the king as Black does not have any really useful moves. Also promising is 27.Nd8 c5 28.Nc6 cxd4 29.Nxd4.
27...c5 28.Bg3
28.dxc5 was also good.
28...Bxg3
White seems better in the pawn-ending that arises after 28...Kf7 29.Bxd6 Kxe6 (29...Nxd6 30.dxc5 Kxe6 31.cxd6 Kxd6 transposes) 30.dxc5 Nxd6 31.cxd6 Kxd6 32.Kf3 Ke5 33.h4.
29.Kxg3!?
I felt that activating the king was more important than uniting White's kingside pawns.
29...Kf7 30.Nd8+ Kf6 31.Nc6?!
Probably better was 31.dxc5 bxc5 32.Nc6 (32.Nb7 c4 33.Na5 also favours White) Nd6 33.Nxa7.
31...a6?
31...cxd4 32.Nxd4 (or 32.cxd4 a5) Nd6 is equal, according to the engines.
32.Nb8
Maybe stronger is 32.dxc5!? bxc5 33.Nb8.
32...cxd4 33.cxd4 Nc7 34.Nd7+ Ke6 35.Nxb6 Nb5 36.Na4 a5?!
The engines prefer 36...Nxd4 37.Nc5+ Ke5 38.Nxa6, although White is clearly better.
37.Nc5+ Kf6 38.Nb3 a4 39.Nc5 a3 40.bxa3 Nxa3
40...Nxd4 41.a4 also wins for White, according to the engines.
41.h4 Nb5 42.Nb3 Nc3 43.a3 g5 44.hxg5+ Kxg5 45.Kf3 f4 46.Nc5 Nb5 47.Ne6+ Kf5
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| White to play and win |
*****
*****
*****
*****
48.a4!
The winning move. Only drawing is 48.Nxf4 Nxd4+ 49.Kg3 (or 49.Ke3 Nc2+) Ke4.
The game finished:
48...Nc3 49.Nc5 Na2 50.Nd3 Nc3 51.Nxf4 Nxa4 52.Nxd5 Nb2 53.Ne3+ Ke6 54.Ke4 Na4 55.f4 Nc3+ 56.Kd3 Nb5 57.f5+ Kd6 58.Kc4 Nc7 59.f6 Ke6 60.Ng4 Kf5 61.d5 Ne8 62.Kc5 1-0
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