I had considered the tournament previously but been put off because the dates clashed with Guernsey and the rounds started at 8.30pm.
But beggars cannot be choosers, so I was happy to give it a try even though it meant wearing a facemask most of the time in Mallorca, including outdoors.
I stayed at a hotel in Magaluf - the only one in the area that was open as far as I could discover.
Magaluf resembled a ghost town, with almost every cafe, restaurant and bar closed.
But I was happy having nearly all of my meals in my hotel room, and I found a cafe run by a Spaniard who turned out to have been born in Hammersmith, West London, so most mornings I enjoyed an espresso or two on his premises' veranda while soaking up Mediterranean sunshine.
I did not post about my participation for various reasons, including the fact that several of my games did not finish till past midnight.
But with unofficial news that Guernsey will be cancelled again this year (so playing at Calvià this coming October is a distinct possibility), now is as good a time as any for going through my games from last October.
Nicolo Napoli (2309) - Spanton (1793)
Calvià U2350 Round 1Sicilian Alapin
1.e4 c5 2.c3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.cxd4 d5 5.exd5 Nf6 6.Nc3 Nxd5 7.Qb3!?
More popular in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database is 7.Bc4, but the text scores a better percentage.
7...e6!?
Overwhelmingly the main move is 7...Nb6.
8.Nf3 Bg7 9.Bg5 Qa5 10.Bb5+ Bd7 11.Bxd7+ Nxd7 12.0-0 N7b6 13.Bd2
Eric Lobron (2528) - Tal Baron (2544), Amsterdam Batavia Grolsch 2017, saw 13.Ne4 0-0 14.Nc5 Qb4 15.Qxb4 Nxb4 (½–½, 24 moves).
*****
13...Qa6 14.a4!?
The analysis engines Stockfish13 and Komodo12.1.1 prefer 14.Ne4 with what they reckon is a roughly equal game.
14...0-0 15.Ne5
If 15.a5, then 15...Nxc3 followed by 16...Nd5 or 16...Nc4.
15...Nxc3 16.Bxc3 Rac8 17.Rfe1
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| Position after 17.Rfe1 |
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17...Bxe5!?
Leaving White with a slightly-bad bishop and Black with an unchallengeable knight-outpost at d5.
18.dxe5 Rfd8 19.Qa3?!
It is not clear what this achieves as White is unlikely to be able to push his b pawn, but perhaps the idea is to try to attack the weak dark squares around the black king with moves such as Qe7 and Re3-f3/h3.
19...Rd3 20.g3?!
This is also puzzling.
20...Nd5 21.Rac1
This natural-looking move is not liked by the engines, who want White to give up a pawn, eg 21.Qb3!? Nxc3 22.bxc3 Rdxc3 23.Qb4, although the resulting position is clearly very good for Black.
21...Nxc3?!
Black is still better after this, but giving up a good knight for a very-limited bishop is not optimal.
22.bxc3 Qc4?!
Black probably has better than this, although the engines cannot agree on what should be played.
23.Red1! Rcd8
Not 23...Rxd1+?! 24.Rxd1 Qxc3?? 25.Rd8+ etc.
24.Rxd3 Qxd3 25.Qb4 Rd7 26.a5 Qd5 27.Re1 Rc7 28.Re4?
The engines reckon White is only very slightly worse after 28.Qd6!? Rxc3 29.Qxd5 exd5 30.Rb1 Rc7 31.f4 despite being a pawn down.
28...Qc5?
Missing the simple 28...Rxc3.
29.Rd4 Kg7 30.f4?
The engines reckon 30.Rd8 effectively equalises.
30...Qxc3 31.Qxc3 Rxc3 32.Rd7 Ra3 33.Rxb7 Rxa5
Black is a pawn up but White's active rook gives good drawing chances.
34.Kg2 Ra2+ 35.Kh3 h5 36.Rb8 a5 37.Ra8!?
The engines strongly dislike this natural-looking move, preferring 37.Rc8, 37.Rd8 or 37.Re8
37...a4 38.Ra7 a3 39.Ra8 Ra1?
Black is much better, according to the engines, after 39...g5!?, eg 40.fxg5 Kg6 41.g4 Kxg5 42.Rg8+ Kh6 43.gxh5 Re2.
40.Ra5?
White apparently equalises with 40.h4, and if 40...Ra2 then 41.h3.
40...a2?
40...Ra2 would have corrected my previous move.
41.Kh4 Kh6
I offered a draw.
42.Ra7 Rc1 43.Rxa2 Rc7 44.Ra8 Rb7 45.Rd8 Rc7 46.Rd2 Rb7 47.Kh3 g5 48.Rf2 g4+ 49.Kh4 Kg6 50.Ra2 Rb1 51.f5+!? Kxf5 52.Kxh5 Rb4 53.Re2
The game has been dead-equal for many moves, according to the engines.
53...Re4?
Allowing a transposition into a pawn-ending that is easier for White to play. The engines reckon White is winning this ending (Stockfish13) or is at least much better (Komodo12.1.1), but the position is still a tablebase draw.
54.Rxe4 Kxe4 55.Kxg4 Kxe5 56.Kg5
The idea I missed at move 53. It came a s shock to me (but it is not enough for a win).
56...f6+ 57.Kg6
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| Position after 57.Kg6 - Black has three drawing moves and two that lose |
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57...f5?
Also losing is 57...Ke4, but the other three king moves, all of which let the e pawn rush forward to queen, draw, according to tablebases.
The game finished:
58.h4 Ke4 59.h5 Kf3 60.h6 Kxg3 61.h7 f4 62.h8=Q f3 63.Qh1 Kf2 64.Kg5 Ke2 65.Kf4 f2 66.Qf3+ Ke1 67.Qe3+ 1-0
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