Wednesday, 8 January 2020

Civil War

PLAYED on bottom board for Battersea 2 against Battersea 1 in division one of the Central London League last night.
Tibor Jones (170) - Spanton (168)
Board 5
QGD Exchange
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3 0-0 7.Bd3 Nbd7 8.Nge2
This has largely supplanted the traditional development of the white king's knight to f3, although both moves score very well in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database.
8...Re8 9.0-0 Nf8 10.f3
White normally plays Qc2 first, either here or earlier, but the text, which has been played by grandmasters, seems fine too.
10...h6 11.Bh4 Ng6 12.Bf2 c6 13.Qc2 Nf8 14.Kh1 Bd7 15.Rad1 Rc8 16.e4
The thematic pawn push. White establishes a strong centre that can easily prove a game-winner if Black does not successfully break it up.
16...dxe4 17.fxe4 Ng4
17...c5!? threatens to win the white light-square bishop, so White cannot keep two central pawns. Stockfish10 continues 18.Nf4 cxd4 19.Bxd4 Bd6 20.Bxa7 Qc7 21.Be3 Ng4 22.Qe2 Nxe3 23.Qxe3, when Black's bishop-pair and White's isolani give Black reasonable compensation for his pawn-minus. Komodo10 prefers 18.Qb3 Qb6 19.Qxb6 axb6 20.h3 cxd4 21.Nxd4 Ba3!? 22.Nd5 Nxd5 23.exd5 Bxb2 24.Nf5, when it is White who is a pawn down, at least temporarily, but has full compensation, according to the engine.
18.Ng3?!
On the engines' choice 18.Bg1, I intended 18...Bg5, but the engines reckon 19.e5 gives White a strong position, eg 19...Ne3 20.Bxe3 Bxe3 21.Ne4.
18...Bh4 19.e5?
The engines' 19.Qe2, guarding e3, is better.
How should Black proceed?
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
19...Nxf2+?
I was so fixated on winning the bishop-pair that I did not consider 19...Bxg3, which wins the exchange as 20.hxg3?? Qg5 is catastrophic for White. Nevertheless, after 20.Bxg3 Ne3 21.Qf2 Nxf1 22.Rxf1, the engines reckon White has full compensation for the exchange, an indicator of just how strong White's centre is.
Also reasonable for Black is 19...c5, which, as at move 17, breaks up White's centre.
20.Qxf2 Be6 21.Nce4 Be7?!
The engines reckon it was better to let the e4 knight into d6, but of course White is much better.
22.Nf5 Bxf5?
It was important to keep f7 defended by the light-square bishop, although White seems to be winning in any case.
23.Qxf5 Qd5 24.Nc3 Qe6 25.Qh5 Rcd8 26.Bc2
Threatening Bb3.
26...g6!?
Giving up a pawn to relieve pressure on f7.
27.Qxh6 Qg4 28.Ne4 Qh4 29.Qe3 Ne6 30.Rf3 Bg5 31.Nxg5 Qxg5 32.Qf2?
White should have settled for 32.Qxg5 Nxg5 33.Rfd3, when he is a pawn up but the game has a long way to go.
32...Re7?
Missing the fairly simple, if you are looking for it, 32...Nxd4!, when Black is better, especially in the event of 33.Rxd4? Qc1+ (but not 33...Rxd4?? 34.Qxd4 Qc1+ 35.Bd1) 34.Bd1 Qxd1+ 35.Rxd1 Rxd1+ 36.Qg1 Rxg1+ 37.Kxg1 Rxe5.
33.Bb3 Rdd7
Not 33...Nxd4?? 34.Rxf7 or 33...Rxd4?? 34.Rxd4 Nxd4 35.Qxd4 Qc1+ 36.Bd1.
34.Rc3 Nf4 35.Rg3 Qh4 36.Qf3 Nd5 37.Rh3 Qf4??
This allows an immediate finish, but 37...Qg5 38.Rf1 leaves White in complete control.
38.Bxd5 1-0
Battersea 1 won the match 4.5-0.5.
My updated Battersea statistics for 2019-20
Event*..Colour...Grade...Opponent's Grade...Result
CLL..…...B....…..168...………169...……….....W
CLL...…..B...…...168...………196...…………..D
CLL...…..W...…..168...………176...…………..L
LL....……W...…..168...…....…175...………….D
CLL...…..B...…...168...………192...…………..D
CLL...…..W...…..168...………181...…………..L
LL...…….W...…..168...………168...…………..L
EC...…….B...…..168...………175...……….….L
CLL...…...B.........168...………170...…………..L
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +1=3-5 for a grading performance of 156.
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; LL: London League; EC: Eastman Cup.

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