Friday: 80.4kg (177lb)
Saturday: 80.7kg (178lb)
Yesterday: 80.4kg (177lb)
Today: 80.2kg (177lb)
FACED a Pole today.
Tomasz Sielicki (1938 Fide) - Spanton (1998 ECF)
ACO World Senior Championship Group C (Fodele Beach, Crete) Round 4QGD Bf4
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.Bf4
This scores 63% in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database, while the more popular 5.Bg5 scores 58%. The analysis engines Stockfish13 and Komodo12.1.1 prefer the text.
5...0-0 6.e3 Nbd7 7.a3!?
This is second in popularity to 7.c5!?, which is preferred by Komodo12.1.1, whereas Stockfish13 vacillates between the two moves.
7...a6!?
This has been played by grandmasters, but may be too slow. Overwhelmingly more popular is 7...c5.
8.Qc2
White is set up to play 8.c5!?, and should do, according to the engines.
8...c5
8...c5
Black in turn is set up to play 8...dxc4 9.Bxc4 b5 followed by a quick ...c5, although the engines are OK with the text.
9.dxc5 Bxc5!?
Possibly a novelty. Known is 9...Nxc5, which may well be better.
10.0-0-0!?
The engines reckon White should prefer the plan of exchanging on d5 followed by castling short.
10...Nb6
Somewhat defensive - the engines much prefer 10...b5!?
11.cxd5
The sharp 11.g4!? is strong, according to the engines.
11...exd5 12.Kb1
White is in massive trouble after 12.Nxd5? Nbxd5 13.Qxc5 Bf5.
12...Qe7
Getting the queen out of a pin while protecting the c5 bishop seems natural but the engines prefer developing the light-square bishop to e6 or d7.
13.Ng5!?
This threatens 14.Nxd5!, but the engines prefer development with 13.Bd3.
13...h6
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| How should White proceed? |
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14.Nxd5?
Capturing on d5 does not work after 13...h6. As TS pointed out after the game, better is 14.h4!, when the engines slightly prefer Black, but the position is very sharp.
14...Nbxd5 15.Rxd5 hxg5 16.Bxg5 Bd6?!
The bishop is a little vulnerable here, despite being protected by the queen, so probably better is 16...Bb6 or 16...Ba7.
17.Bd3
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| White has two pawns and an attack for a knight, so Black has to be careful |
*****
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17...Rd8!
The engines agree this developing move, giving the black king luft, is best.
After 17...Be6 18.Bxf6 gxf6 (18...Qxf6?! 19.Rxd6 Ba2+ 20.Kxa2 Qxd6 21.Rd1!? favours White, according to Stockfish13, although Komodo12.1.1 reckons the position is equal) White gets play with both 19.Rh5 and 19.Qa4!?, although objectively Black is doing well.
I also rejected 17...Qe6, when White has chances after 18.Rd4, although again Black should come out on top.
18.Rd1 Be6 19.Bxf6
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| How should Black recapture? |
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19...gxf6
I thought White would be fine after19...Qxf6?! 20.Bh7+ Kf8 21.Rxd6 Rxd6 22.Rxd6 Ba2+ 23.Kxa2 Qxd6 24.Be4, and the engines agree, but Black can seemingly improve with 22...g6!?, when the engines give 23.Bxg6 fxg6 24.Qc5, after which White has three pawns and the safer king for a bishop. Black is better but only has the upper hand, according to Komodo12.1.1 (Stockfish13 reckons Black is winning).
20.Rh5!? Bg4
This is winning, but the engines slightly prefer 20...Ba3!?, the point being that 21.bxa3 Qxa3 leaves White facing murderous threats, eg 22.Bh7+ Kg7!, when the best the engines come up with for White is 23.Rd4 Rxd4 24.exd4 Qb4+ 25.Qb2 Qxb2+ 26.Kxb2, but after 26...Rh8 White will be a bishop down with effectively no compensation.
21.Rh4 Bxd1 22.Qxd1
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| Black is winning but still has to survive something of a storm |
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22....Qe5?!
This is probably good enough but the engines much prefer 22...f5 or 22...Bd7.
23.Rh5
If 23.Qg4+, then not 23...Qg5?, after which 24.Qh3 Kf8 25.Rh5! Qg7 26.Rh8+ Ke7 27.Rh7 Qg8 28.Bc4 gives White an edge, according to the engines, but instead the simple 23...Kf8 seems to get Black through the complications with a winning advantage, eg the engines' main line runs 24.Rh5 Qe6 25.Bf5 Qd5 26.Bc2 f5! 27.Rxf5 Qe6, when Black is more-or-less out of the woods and is up a rook for three pawns.
23...Qe6 24.Bf5 Qc4 25.Bd3 Be5! 26.Rh8+!?
A last desperate throw of the dice.
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| Position after 26.Rh8+!? |
*****
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26...Kxh8??
Winning is 26...Kg7 27.Rh7+ Kf8.
27.Qh5+ Kg8 28.Bxc4 Rd7
Or 28...Rf8 29.Qg6+ Kh8 30.Qh6+ Kg8 31.Bd3 and mates.
Objectively best, according to the engines, but hopeless, is to allow White to capture on f7 with check, eg 28...Rd2 29.Qxf7+ Kh8 30.Qh5+ Kg7 31.Qg4+ Kh8 32.f4 Bxb2 33.Bf7 Bxa3 34.Qg6, but mate follows.
29.Qg4+ 1-0
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