Sharp Albin

PLAYED top board last night in division two of the Central London League for Battersea 3 against HMC 2.
John M Bennett (183) - Spanton (170)
Albin Countergambit
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.g3
This is still the most popular move in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database, but is being increasingly challenged by 5.a3 (Emanuel Lasker's original choice back in 1893) and, to a lesser extent, by 5.Nbd2.
5...Nge7 6.Bg2 Ng6 7.Bg5!?
The main move is 7.0-0 but the text obliges Black to make an awkward-looking reply.
7...Qd7
The 'obvious' 7...Be7? is simply met by 8.Bxe7, when 8...Qxe7 9.Nxd4 drops the important d pawn. If Black then tries 9...Qb4+, White has 10.Nc3 with what Stockfish10 and Komodo10 reckon is a winning position.
8.0-0 h6!?
8...Ngxe5 9.Nxe5 Nxe5 10.Qc2?! (10.Qb3 is probably better) Qf5 worked out well in Jonathan Wells (2072) - Spanton (2020), Paignton (0-1, 54 moves), but the text is maybe even stronger.
JB revealed afterwards he had the position after 8...h6!? more than 20 years ago in Dubai. Back then he played 9.Bd2 but concluded that stronger is 9.Bc1. Nevertheless, for some reason he could not explain, this time he played ...
9.Bd2
9.Bf4 Nxf4 10.gxf4 g5!? 11.e3?! (11.Nbd2, as played by Boris Gelfand in a 2004 blindfold rapid loss to Alexander Morozevich, seems better) dxe3 12.Qxd7+ Bxd7 13.fxe3 Bc5 was good for Black in Roman Bradac (2031) - Spanton (1961), Highlands Open (Czech Rep) 2014 (0-1, 23 moves).
Not as bad as it looks is 9.Bh4?! Ngxe5 10.Nxe5 Nxe5, eg 11.Nd2 g5?! 12.f4. But 11...f6 really does threaten ...g5, and the engines reckon White has to play 12.g4 Qxg4 13.Bg3, although they have Black only slightly better.
9...Ngxe5 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Qb3 Bc5 12.Bxb7!?
This looks impossible at first glance because of 12...Rb8, but then 13.Bxc8 Qxc8 14.Qa4+ was a little better for White in Trevor Coote (2104) - Spanton (1880), Hastings 2017-18 (1-0, 34 moves).
12...Bxb7 13.Qxb7 0-0 14.b4 Rab8 15.Qe4
15.Qa6? d3 gives Black a very strong attack.

Black to play and draw

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15...Nxc4! 16.bxc5 Rxb1 17.Raxb1 Nxd2 18.Qd3 ½–½
On 18.Qb7, I planned 18...Re8.
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.........170...………172...…………..L
LL...…….W...…..170...………183...…………..D
LL............W........170...…........180......……......L
LL....…….B...…..170....……...182...………….W
CLL...…...B...…..170...………183...……….….D
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +2=5-6 for a grading performance of 164.
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.