MY first attempt at correspondence chess to play against the French Defence in the style of Paul Morphy.
The game ended yesterday.
Spanton (England - 2260) - Emmanuel Quanzaah (Africa - 2092)
Carlos Flores Gutiérrez Team Tournament
Semi-Final Group 4, Board 3
French Exchange
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Bd6 5.Bd3 Ne7
This move is given an exclamation mark in Action Chess - Purdy's 24 Hours Opening Repertoire. Cecil Purdy, the first world correspondence champion, claimed "the reason Morphy obtained superior positions (in the Exchange Variation of the French) was that his opponents continued symmetrically." He recommended a set-up used by EQ here, saying Black's fifth move "has two advantages: i) Bg5 by White will not pin (because of ...f6 in reply); ii) White's aggressive Bd3 can be challenged afterwards by ...Bf5 (supported by the knight on e7)."
6.0-0 Nbc6 7.Re1 Bg4 8.c3
Getting on with development with 8.Be3 is arguably more Morphy-like, and is playable as 8...Nb4 9.Be2 Bf5 can be met by 9.Na3. But e3 does not seem a great square for the dark-square bishop as it blocks the action of the king's rook and will likely become a target for the black king's knight and/or f pawn.
8...Qd7 9.Nbd2 f6!?
ChessBase's 2020 Mega database has 470 games with the move 9...0-0-0, but the text, which seems to have been first played at master level by Rubinstein in 1914, has its modern followers, including Morozevich.
10.Nf1!?
I think this is a small improvement on 10.b4, which I played in Spanton (1900) - Ieysaa Bin-Suhayl (2208), Crewe 2019, anticipating long castling by Black. But my opponent replied 10...0-0 and went on to outplay me, a key point of the game being the hole at c4. Having said that, 10.b4 is the most-popular move in Mega20 and has been played by Leko, who drew against Morozevich.
10...0-0 11.Ng3 Bxg3!?
Giving up the bishop-pair like this surprised me, but it has been played before. However, grandmaster Salvador Gabriel del Rio de Angelis preferred 11...f5 in a 2019 game, although he could only draw with a 2257.
12.hxg3 Rfe8 13.b3
13.Qb3 was played two years ago by a 1994. The text, which may be a novelty, guards the c4 square, supports a possible later advance of the c pawn and opens a second diagonal for White's dark-square bishop.
13...Bf5 14.Be2
The analysis engine Stockfish11 prefers 14.a4, but I thought it was worth spending a tempo to preserve the bishop-pair.
14...Nc8
The knight heads for d6 and possibly e4.
15.Nh4 Be6 16.Ba3 Nd6 17.Qc2
Both players have connected rooks, and it can be fairly said the opening phase of the game is over. Space is equal, and both sides have slightly compromised kingsides, so I guess the main question is whether White's bishop-pair confers a significant advantage.
17...Re7
Possible is 17...Ne4!?, but then 18.Bd3 f5 would do Black's bishop no favours.
18.Bd3 g6 19.Re3
There does not seem to be a fruitful way to sac on g6.
19...Bf7!?
This is the choice of Komodo11.01, but is not liked by Stockfish11.
20.Rf3 Kg7 21.g4!
A sharp move that starts to exert pressure on Black's position.
21...Nd8
Not 21...Qxg4? 22.Bxd6 cxd6 23.Nf5+!
22.Rg3
Manoeuvring with rooks away from the baseline on a crowded board in the middlegame can be a mistake, but the rook seems perfectly safe on a dark square eyeing the black king.
22...Ne6 23.Rf1
23.f5+!? gxf5 24.gxf5+ Ng5 25.f4 h6 26.fxg5 hxg5 is equal, according to the engines.
23...Ng5
White has a pleasant edge after 23...Nf4 24.g5 fxg5 25.Rxg5 Nxd3 26.Qxd3, according to the engines.
24.Nf3 Nxf3+ 25.gxf3 a5 26.Qc1
Eyeing the weak h6 square.
26...Be6?!
The engines reckon Black should shore up his kingside with a move such as 26...Rh8, although they still prefer White. Instead EQ goes for queenside counterplay.
27.Kg2 a4 28.Rh1 Kg8 29.c4 Rg7 30.Bb4 axb3 31.axb3 Re8 32.c5!?
Closing the position somewhat, but gaining space and so leaving Black a little short of squares for his pieces on the kingside. Meanwhile the dark-square bishop can find work to do on c1-h6 diagonal.
32...Nf7 33.Bd2 c6 34.b4 Qd8 35.Rgh3 Qd7!?
Black's queenside counterplay has come to nothing, and it may be he has nothing better than to wait to see what White tries.
36.Rh4 Ra8 37.Qb1 Qe7 38.Qc1 Qd7
Black offered a draw. I thought this was a bit cheeky, considering the engines greatly prefer White. But at the same time I could not find a clear way to break through, although there is no danger in my continuing to probe in the Micawberish hope that something will turn up.
39.Re1 g5!?
Stockfish11 likes this, although Komodo11.01 prefers the also-committal 39...h5.
40.Rh2 h5!? 41.Qc2
Not 41.Rxh5? Bxg4. Black also seems fine after 41.gxh5?! Bf5.
41...h4
Black has neutralised any immediate danger down the h file, but his king's position looks draughty and he could become vulnerable to the pawn-lever f4.
42.Rhh1 Rf8 43.b5!?
Switching play to the queenside. White's pieces are better coordinated for such a switch. However the engines prefer more manoeuvring on the kingside, one line running 43.Re3 Nd8 44.Rhe1 f5 45.Bxf5 Bxf5 46.gxf5 Rxf5 47.Re7 Rxe7 48.Rxe7 Qxe7 49.Qxf5 Nf7 50.Qg6+ Kf8 51.Be3 Ke8 52.Kh3 Qd7+ 53.Kg2 Qe7, when they reckon White maintains a good edge (+0.72: Stockfish11; +0.52: Komodo11.01), but I could see no way of making meaningful progress.
43...Nd8 44.Ba5 Re7 45.Qc3 Rfe8 46.Bc2
Preparing a return to kingside play with Qd3.
46...cxb5!?
This is the engines' choice.
47.Bxd8!
Giving up the bishop-pair, but the knight was a good piece for Black. Certainly there is no doubt who has the remaining better minor-piece.
47...Qxd8 48.Qd3 Bd7
White restores material equality in the event of 48...Rg7!? 49.Qxb5, after which the b7 pawn is a chronic weakness.
49.Qg6+ Rg7 50.Rxe8+ Bxe8 51.Qh6 Bd7 52.Ra1 Qf8 53.Ra7 Be8
 |
| How should White proceed? |
The key move, which naturally the engines, or at least Stockfish11, saw from afar.
54...gxf4
This seems forced, eg 54...Bc6? fails to 55.fxg5 fxg5 56.Bf5.
55.Kh2 Re7 56.Qxh4
Also promising is 56.Qxf4.
56...b4 57.Ra8 b3 58.Bg6
Not 58.Bxb3?? Rh7.
58...b2 59.Kg2 Rg7 60.Bf5 Re7 61.Kf3!?
The engines prefer 61.Rb8, but there are lines in which the black queen gets to buzz around the white king, and I was not confident of ruling out a perpetual. After the text, best play seems to lead to a more-or-less forced exchange of queens, after which White should be able to grind out a win a pawn up (Black is a pawn up in the short term, but all five black pawns are isolated and weak).
61...Qg7 62.Qh5 Qf7 63.Qh1
63.Qxf7+?! Kxf7 dissipates much of White's advantage.
63...Qg7 64.Kxf4 Qh8
This is best, according to the engines, but it is what I wanted.
65.Qxh8+ Kxh8 66.Ra3 Bc6 67.Rb3 Re2 68.Kf3 Re8 69.Rxb2
White is a pawn up and all the white pieces are more active than their black counterparts. In addition, Black's pawns are weak, so White should win comfortably.
69...Ra8 70.g5 fxg5 71.Kg4 Ra4 72.Rd2 Kg7 73.Kxg5 Ra1 74.Be6 Re1 75.Kf5 Rh1 76.Ke5 Rh5+ 77.Kd6 Kf6 78.Rd3 Rh4 79.Bxd5 Bxd5 80.Kxd5 Rh7 81.Kd6 1-0
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