Most-enjoyable tournament: Bad Wörishofen (Bavaria) March 6-14. It is not just the playing conditions, which vary from excellent to good, depending on where you are sat (unless you are on a low board in the seniors near the entrance). The town, which is small but has a good range of cafes, bars and restaurants, is an upmarket spa venue that gets a huge influx of visitors in the summer but is near-deserted for the rest of the year. Everything is quite compact and easy to get around, and there is plenty of interesting countryside to explore.
Most-interesting new tournament: Calvià (Mallorca) October 10-18. This was my first visit to the Balearic Islands, which I have long thought of visiting for a walking holiday. I have put off playing in Mallorca because the dates more-or-less clash with Guernsey, and because the rounds (apart from the last one) start at 8.30pm. This meant most of my games finished at about midnight or later, which at least had the advantage of keeping me out of mischief (there was a 1am curfew for those few bars - ones that did not have a music licence - allowed to open). Facemasks had to be worn, outdoors as well as indoors, which took a little getting used to, especially as the glasses I wear at the board frequently steamed up. My hotel, apparently the only one in the area open, was about 15 minutes' walk away in Magaluf, which took on the appearance of a ghost town as virtually all shops and restaurants were closed.
Most-missed tournament: a tie between Guernsey, which is usually held in the third week of October and features dozens of players I know well, and Benidorm, which features lots of sunshine and temperatures in the high teens or low 20s despite starting at the very end of November and running well into December.
Best performance: Calvià U2350. I scored +4=2-3 for a Fide rating gain of 37.6pts.
Worst performance: Biel Corona (Switzerland) July 20-29. I scored +4=1-4 for a Fide rating loss of 23.6pts.
Most-welcome return in 2021: league chess. It is not just that playing once or twice a week breaks up the week, but I also miss the after-game socialising.
Best game:
Spanton (170) - Daniel Wright (187)
London League Division 2
Sicilian Accelerated Dragon (by transposition)
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nc6 6.Nxc6!?
More popular are 6.Be3, 6.Nb3 and 6.Nde2.
6...bxc6 7.Bc4 d6 8.0-0 Nf6 9.e5!?
Sacrificing a pawn for the initiative.
9...dxe5 10.Qxd8+ Kxd8 11.Re1
Not 11.Bxf7? as the bishop is trapped after 11...e6.
11...e6 12.Bg5 Kc7 13.Rad1 h6
Spanton (1914) - Jem Gurner (1751), Jersey 2019, saw 13...Nd5 14.Ne4(14.Na4!? may be better) h6 15.Bd2 a5 with a position the analysis engines Stockfish12 and Komodo11.01 reckon is better for Black (0-1, 32 moves).
14.Bh4 Nd5 15.Na4
Not 15.Ne4? as it loses a piece to 15...f5 etc.
15...Nb6 16.Bb3 Nxa4 17.Bxa4 f6 18.Re3 Bb7!?
My original notes show this was Stockfish10's choice, while Komodo10 gave 18...g5 19.Bxc6!? Rb8 (White has a perpetual after 19...Kxc6 20.Rc3+) 20.Rc3 Rxb2 21.f3!? Kb8 22.Bf2, when it reckoned White has full compensation for a pawn. My newer versions of these engines prefer 18...Rb8, when Komodo11.01 again reckons White has good compensation for a pawn, but Stockfish12 evaluates the position as slightly better for Black.
19.f4
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| Position after 19.f4. Black remains a pawn up, but it is doubled and White's pieces are more active. |
*****
*****
*****
*****
19...g5?!
Apparently missing a point of my last move. Stockfish12 gives 19...Rad8 20.Rxd8 Rxd8 21.fxe5 Rxd1+ 22.Re1 Rxe1+ 23.Bxe1, and either 23...fxe5 or 23...f5, in each case with an equal game. Komodo11.01 prefers 19...exf4 20.Rxe6 Rhe8 21.Rde1 Rxe6 22.Rxe6 Kd7 23.Bb3 Re8 24.Bxf6! Rxe6 25.Bxe6+ Kxe6 26.Bxg7 with a drawn opposite-coloured bishops ending.
20.fxg5
This is good enough for equal play, but better seems to be the engines' 20.Be1!?, when Black is more-or-less forced to reply 20...a5, after which White has several good continuations, eg 21.fxe5 fxe5 22.Red3 Bc8 (not 22...Rhd8?? 23.Rxd8 Bxa5+) 23.Rc3 with continuing pressure.
20...hxg5 21.Be1 a5 22.Red3 Bc8 23.Rc3
This is similar to the previous note except here Black has a better kingside pawn-structure.
28...Bb7 29.Rc5 Kb6 30.Bf2 Kc7 31.Be1 Kb6
With the benefit of seeing White's next move, Black should give back his extra pawn with 31...Bf8! 32.Rxa5.
 |
| White to play and win |
*****
*****
*****
*****
27.Rd7!! Bf8
This is best, according to the engines, but Black is lost.
If 27...Kxc5 then 28.Bf2+ Kb4 (or 28...Kc4 29.Bb3+ Kb5 30.a4+ Ka6 31.Bc4#) 29.Rxb7+ Kxa4 30.Bc5 and 31.b3#.
If 27...Rhd8 then 28.Bf2! Ka6 (not 28...Rxd7? 29.Rxc6#) 29.Bxc6 Bxc6 (or 29...Rxd7 30.Bxd7 Bf8 31.Bb5+ Kb6 32.Rxe5+ Kc7 33.Rxe6) 30.Rxc6+ Kb5 31.Rb6+ Kc4 32.Rc7+ Kd5 33.Rxg7.
28.Rc3 Bc5+
Or 28...Bb4 29.Bf2+ Ka6 (if 29...c5 then 30.Rcd3) 30.Bxc6 Bxc3 31.Bxb7+ Kb5 32.Bxa8.
29.Rxc5+! Kxc5 30.Bf2+ Kb4 31.Rxb7+ Kxa4 32.Bc5 1-0
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